NOWPAP and COBSEA participated in the Global Plastics Summit (11-12 October 2023, Bangkok, Thailand) to facilitate discussions during a special side-event on Regional Governance to deliver a pitch on behalf of the UNEP Regional Seas Programme.
Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs) are intergovernmental bodies across 18 regions covering over 145 countries joint together to protect and sustainably develop marine and coastal environment management and governance systems, including addressing sea-based and land-based plastic pollution. The UNEP-coordinated Regional Seas Programme is the UNEP’s most important regional mechanism for the management and conservation of the marine and coastal environment since its establishment in 1974. Out of 18 RSCAPs globally, UNEP directly administers seven RSCAPs in West Africa, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northwest Pacific, East Asian Seas, Caspian Sea, and East Africa, providing Secretariat functions, financial management, and technical assistance. These Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are governed by their own meetings of the Contracting Parties or Member States. Their mandates and frameworks align with regional priorities and contribute to global mandates, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), and United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolutions. Currently, four UNEP-administered Regional Seas programmes have adopted Regional Action Plans on Marine Litter (RAP MALI), including in the Caribbean, East Asian Seas, Mediterranean, and Northwest Pacific.
The Second Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) is aimed to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (ILBI), including that for the marine environment, emphasized addressing country capacities and readiness to develop and implement the global mandate on plastic pollution. INC-2 highlighted the need to leverage the existing mechanisms for coordinated action and support in alignment with regional frameworks and national priorities. Delegates also stressed the need for effective science-based approaches, practical and scalable actions, and harmonized monitoring and assessment to achieve tangible impact on the ground.
Regional Seas programmes can be instrumental in supporting countries during the INC process and implementing a global, legally binding plastics treaty, including:
- Providing a sustainable platform for dialogue and information exchange between participating countries, scientific communities, and civil societies to promote knowledge-sharing and cooperation, including through regional preparatory meetings, Intergovernmental Meetings, working groups on marine litter, and similar.
- Enhancing and harmonizing a state-of-the-art monitoring and assessment through regional guidance, capacity building, and coordinated data collection, to improve data comparability and evidence for decision making and progress tracking.
- Assisting countries in aligning their national policies and plans with the ILBI’s provisions to ensure effective implementation and enforcement.
- Providing sufficient resources for meaningful participation of countries in negotiations, including information sharing, and travel funding.
- Facilitating regional cooperation and coordination among countries during negotiations to raise regional priorities, including through joint statements.
- Tailoring effective solutions to overcome region-specific challenges and priorities related to marine plastic pollution, as identified inter alia in RAP MALIs, to inform options.
- Sharing best practices, case studies, and lessons learned within and from other regions, including through Regional Nodes of the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML).
- Providing capacity-building initiatives and technical assistance to capacitate countries’ expertise in addressing plastic pollution and implement region-specific actions and measures aligned with the global ILBI’s goals, including through RAP MALIs.
- Advocating for stronger engaging action and raising awareness about plastic pollution to foster collective commitment towards an ILBI.
- Supporting countries in reporting and reviewing progress in addressing plastic pollution, ensuring transparency and accountability within the INC process and the ILBI framework.
