Closing Conference: Strengthening Plastic Pollution Management in Asia and the Pacific

Background

• Plastic pollution remains a pressing environmental issue with far-reaching effects. Every year, 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers, and seas, exacerbating an already critical problem. ¹Plastic pollution disrupts habitats and natural processes, reduces ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change, and directly impacts millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities, and social well-being.
• The Japanese government has been working collaboratively with UNEP since 2019. With funding from the Government of Japan, UNEP launched the project “Strengthening Plastic Pollution Management in Asia and the Pacific” (Mekong and Pacific Project). This project aims to enhance monitoring and assessment capacities, strengthen systematic approaches to plastic pollution management, and inform policymaking in the Mekong River Basin countries and Pacific Island countries.
• Plastic pollution has gained increased attention globally and regionally, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. For instance, in ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Declaration on Plastic Circularity was announced in October 2024.² Similarly, Pacific Island countries have also taken initiatives to address plastic pollution. For example, the Pacific Regional Declaration on the Prevention of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution and its Impacts that was presented at the Environment Ministers’ High-Level Talanoa in 2021.³
• Against this backdrop, this conference serves as the concluding event for the Mekong-Pacific Project, showcasing its output. It also provides a platform to explore opportunities for synergy between the project’s outputs and other ongoing/future projects or initiatives, as well as the practical implementation of plastic management and monitoring activities using the outputs.

Objective

• Exploring future development and sustained utilization of the Mekong Pacific Project’s outputs through collaboration with other initiatives and projects, particularly in the areas of monitoring and evaluating plastic pollution in riverine environments and implementing plastic management solutions.

Registration

• For onsite/online participation, please register through the URL. https://forms.gle/gmL64kKiKT8Lj3Qc8

Participants

• 70 participants from various stakeholder groups, with an emphasis on government officers from Asia and Pacific countries.

Sessions

• Day 1: Regional-level initiatives and collaboration for monitoring and evaluating plastic pollution along rivers and improving plastic management.
• Day 2: National and city-level initiatives for monitoring and evaluating plastic pollution along rivers and improving plastic management.