Aqaba, October 9, 2024 – The Delegation of the European Union to Jordan, co-organised with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Interreg NEXT MED and Aqaba Marine Reserve (AMR) today a beach cleanup campaign in honour of World Cleanup Day. The event, which falls under the #EUBeachCleanup umbrella, brought together over 80 students from public and private schools in Aqaba to collect plastic waste at the Blue Beach in the Aqaba Marine Reserve to raise awareness of the harmful effects of marine litter, including cigarette butts and plastic waste.

At the event, the European Union Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, said: “The European Union’s Beach Clean-up campaign has evolved into a global initiative, with over 45,000 participants in 44 countries last year alone. Aqaba, where we are today, has been actively participating in the Clean-up Campaign for numerous years. Beyond the fight against pollution, we want to help Aqaba adapt to climate change and evolve into a hub for green economy.”

The Head of the Environment and Inclusive Growth Portfolio at UNDP Jordan, Dr. Nedal Al Oran, also delivered welcoming remarks in which he highlighted UNDP’s commitment to building on and expanding innovative projects that directly contribute to mitigating climate change effects in Aqaba and beyond.

He went on to add that youth’s participation in the beach cleanup underscores the important role they play in promoting and encouraging sustainable practices that safeguard Aqaba’s long-term biodiversity and marine life.

During the event, students received a technical training on how to effectively collect plastic items from coastlines. Additionally, they concluded the beach cleanup with an arts and crafts activity, giving them the opportunity to transform collected waste items into sculptures – a symbol of their collective efforts to preserve Aqaba’s marine life.