NOWPAP was invited to introduce its achievements and lessons learned in addressing marine litter in an online workshop on marine litter management organised by the 21st Century Maritime Cooperation Committee and World Association of Major Metropolises from 25 to 27 August 2021. More than 60 representatives of members of the 21st Century Maritime Cooperation Committee, World Association of Major Metropolises, and friendship cities of Fuzhou from 15 countries, including Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, attended this workshop.
NOWPAP was represented by Dr. Ning Liu, NOWPAP Programme Officer, who informed the meeting about the implementation of the NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI) in the workshop. He highlighted the policy development and actions taken by the NOWPAP Member States in preventing, monitoring, and removing marine litter. He also stressed the importance of integrated waste management and the cooperation among various players including the governmental agencies, private sector, research institutes, non-governmental organisations. During a Q&A session after the presentation, Dr. Liu was invited to provide additional information on and share practical experiences from NOWPAP of how to enhance awareness-raising on marine litter for different targeted audiences. He further elaborated on the approaches of UNEP, and NOWPAP in particular, on this issue.
Speakers from China’s Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, China’s Xiamen University, Kiribati Local Government Association (KiLGA), China’s Minjiang University, and Indonesia’s Surabaya City Government presented waste management using cloud technology, integrated coastal management, marine plastic pollution and governance practices, waste management in the waters respectively.
A panel discussion devoted to experience exchange on how to apply the knowledge and best practices learned in this workshop to waste management at the local level was focused specifically in more detail. The participants confirmed their interest and commitment to would work closely to promote successful approaches to marine litter management in future.
The 21st Century Maritime Cooperation Committee is a standing committee of United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific. It is a non-profit international organisation endeavoring to promote cooperation in marine economy, marine conservation, waterway security, port management, disaster prevention, and reduction in the Asia and Pacific region and the world at large.
