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ASEAN marine debris forum focuses on regional, global solutions
Officials and private sector representatives convened at the ACCPP in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss regional as well as international measures to rid the world of marine debris.
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Stock illustration of marine plastic pollution. The 2023 ASEAN Conference for Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCP), which convened in Jakarta on Oct. 17, aims to discuss both regional and global solutions, including legally binding instruments, to rid the waste polluting the world’s oceans. (Shutterstock/File)
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undreds of delegates from across the globe gathered in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss the impacts of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans as well as regional goals and policy actions to mitigate the issue, while pushing for an international agreement to solve the issue in line with ASEAN principles.
The 2023 ASEAN Conference for Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCPP), which saw the attendance of delegates from both the public and private sectors, hosted discussions on drafting an international treaty to address marine debris, officials said.
The talks were an important milestone for ASEAN member states to get on the same page, acting coordinating maritime and investment minister Erick Thohir said in his opening remarks, citing 2016 data that showed six ASEAN countries were among the world’s top 20 marine polluters.
While measures had been taken to mitigate the problem, continued Erick, ASEAN countries had been struggling with funding and infrastructure. He said this situation heightened the need to advance the negotiations currently underway at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), on an internationally legally binding instrument by 2024 to end plastic pollution.
Dubbed the “plastics treaty”, UNEA agreed last year to push for the pact that seeks to address marine debris through regular debate on possible solutions and frameworks, and by solving contentions. The next session is slated for November in Nairobi, Kenya.
Read also: 'They're everywhere': microplastics in oceans, air and human body
Reports on the negotiations thus far has noted contention between developed countries and developing nations: the former suggested a bottom-up approach by which countries determined their commitments based on local capacities, while the latter called for more contributions from wealthier nations based on their contributions to marine debris.
