'There are clear reasons for optimism'

Rolph Payet is Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions and a former Minister of Environment and Energy from the Seychelles, who previously served as his country’s chief negotiator to the Basel Convention, Montreal Protocol, and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In a GEF Voices interview, he shared life lessons from his work to reduce exposure to – and harm from – pollution and toxic chemicals. 

When did you become interested in environmental issues?

I grew up in the Seychelles, a small island state in the Indian Ocean. As a child it felt like we were completely insulated from the pollution of other countries, given our location nearly a thousand miles from East Africa. But over time, ocean plastic started to reach us, and we began to feel the effects of atmospheric pollution that originated far away. These changes affected me a lot and made me realize that stopping the progressive degradation of the environment would require work with other countries and at the global level.

As a young person, and throughout my studies in biochemistry and business administration in the United Kingdom, I was fascinated by the fragile nature of our ocean and how countries that are dependent on fisheries and tourism need to navigate challenges that originate well beyond their borders. After graduating with a Ph.D. in environmental science in Sweden, I returned to my home country and established its university, the University of Seychelles or UniSey, and started to build a career focused on connecting countries around environmental challenges that no one can solve alone. 

How did you get started in this field? 

Through my involvement with UniSey, with the Island Conservation Society and the Global Island Partnership, and in the public service, I became involved in efforts to create networks of marine protected areas. This work taught me that connecting people around a sustainable ocean economy was easier said than done – and requires sufficient, reliable financing to stick. 

Thus began my decade-long journey to establish a capital market for long-term sustainable marine resources in the Seychelles. After many years of engaging with both policymakers and bankers, we succeeded in launching the world’s first sovereign blue bond in 2018 – a $15 million issuance supported by the World Bank and the GEF. This was a game-changer for our ability to invest in a sustainable ocean economy, and has opened the door to blue bonds elsewhere.

Photo credit: Global Environment Facility

What drew you to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions?

In 2014, I accepted the Executive Secretary role as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation related to pollution and to address this challenge at its source. The Basel Convention is now the only legally binding treaty in the world focused on the issue of the more than 150 million tons of plastic we have dumped in our oceans. We are also making progress on the management of dangerous chemicals through the Rotterdam Convention and persistent organic pollutants through the Stockholm Convention. There remains a lot to do, but we are making progress. 

Through these conventions, we seek to engage all countries to ensure they have a say on global environmental issues – not just pollution, but also biodiversity loss and climate change, as each crisis relates to the others. We are also helping mobilize resources to support countries striving to meet their obligations and commitments under the conventions.

My life experiences have taught me that small ripples can create profound and lasting effects, and I believe this to be true in environmental diplomacy as well. Through our efforts to connect countries, communities, and consumers on issues that affect all of us, we are working to make a positive, lasting difference for health, happiness, and well-being. It is very meaningful for me.

Could you describe a project you are currently working on?

A current priority for me is supporting the environmentally sound management and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a chemical used in electrical transformers. Countries have committed under the Stockholm Convention to phase out the use of PCBs in equipment by 2025 and ensuring their safe destruction by 2028. This is important because when these chemicals are abandoned, they can seep into the environment and accumulate in the human body and wildlife, leading to serious health issues such as cancer and infertility. The distribution of PCBs is global and even can be found in Arctic mammals. We need to explore innovative financing options to achieve these important goals under the Convention, as the financial requirements remain substantial. The BRS Secretariat is working with funding from Denmark, France, the European Union, and the GEF, and support from the World Bank, to align PCB phase-out activities with investments in energy transition and infrastructure modernization projects, and to scale up last-mile efforts to eliminate this significant hazard. 

Another initiative that is close to my heart is the GEF ISLANDS program, which provides targeted support to Small Island Developing States for the improved management of chemicals and waste, including plastics and electronics. This matters because island states often do not have the technical capacity or economies of scale to recover, recycle, or even safely dispose of waste. Investments in waste management infrastructure, circular economy methods, and new mechanisms such as extended producer responsibility and take-back schemes are helping these countries manage complex challenges and reduce the impact of pollution on the environment and on health. As a global program, GEF ISLANDS is also making it possible for countries to share expertise with one another on ways to address issues they each face. 

Has anyone you have met through your work made a lasting impact on you? 

I would like to single out two passionate and visionary women who have impacted me greatly – Jane Goodall and Wangari Maathai. 

I have known Jane for many years, and we have become good friends. There is something that she said that has stuck with me for years: “I realized I could not save the chimpanzees by living with them, but by going back to living with humans with the hope that they would change and believe that we need nature to survive.” 

Wangari, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental activism in Kenya, stressed to me on several occasions that change at the global level always starts in communities. To make a lasting difference, we need to keep our feet on the ground and always focus on what matters.

In my day-to-day work, moving from one international meeting to another, the wisdom of these women has helped sustain my focus and energy. They have reminded me of what matters – for me, that is a clean planet, and healthy people. 

What life lessons has working on environmental issues taught you?

The most prominent lesson is that one cannot do it alone! Solving global environmental challenges will require many solutions, big and small, coming together. 

The state of the global environment can be concerning. What gives you hope?

While the state of the global environment is indeed concerning, there are clear reasons for optimism. One of the most powerful sources of hope is the existence of strong, legally binding instruments like the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. These conventions provide a solid normative foundation for global coordinated action, ensuring that the management of hazardous chemicals and waste is not just an aspiration but a legally recognized commitment. This is supported by the GEF as the financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention, whose portfolio addressing pollution and chemicals has grown in recent years. Through our Global Monitoring Network, we have also observed a decrease in certain levels of toxic chemicals in our atmosphere and in Arctic species. Recent efforts at integrating our priorities with those of climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as human health, has shown the importance of not treating pollution as an isolated issue, but rather one that is central to the future state of the planet. 

What advice would you give to a young person interested in a career related to the environment? 

The environmental field needs passionate, committed, and solution-oriented young leaders — so step forward, engage in the dialogue, and help shape the future you want to see! 

I would recommend striking a balance between advocacy and action, as we need to address environmental issues not only in conference rooms but also in the field, which is where I started my career.

I also think it is important to remember that environmental issues are relevant to all career paths, and should be reflected in school and university curricula so that managers, economists, social scientists, engineers, and others recognize their important role in ensuring that decision-making occurs with sustainability in mind, for as far as I know there is no other planet to escape to!