International Agreements

COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter

The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) is a regional programme for the sustainable management and use of the marine coastal environment. The participating countries in the programme are Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The COBSEA Secretariat is hosted by Thailand and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme.

COBSEA adopted the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter in 2008 (UNEP, 2008). The action plan was revised and adopted by the 24th Intergovernmental Meeting of COBSEA, in Bali, Indonesia, 19–20 June 2019. The action plan aims to support the participating countries in delivering the Sustainable Development Goal 14 to ‘[c]onserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’ and its associated target to ‘prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution’ by 2025. The action plan’s principal goal is to consolidate, coordinate, and facilitate cooperation, and implement the necessary environmental policies, strategies, and measures for sustainable, integrated management of marine litter in the East Asia.

Four key actions are enclosed in the action plan. Table 1 summarises the specific actions from those four key actions.

Table 1. Key Actions and Specific Actions on the Action Plan

No.	Key Actions	Specific Actions
1.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from land-based sources	Legal and economic instruments: Enhance leadership, implementation, and quality of government efforts Establish policy making mechanism and supporting agency for the implementation of solid waste management policies Adopt harmonized legal and economic instruments through fiscal and economic instruments such as tax, ban, and deposit-refund system
		Integrated waste management: Dialogue with industry on waste management and identify incentives and measures to promote sustainable practices Establish policy making mechanism and supporting agency for the implementation of solid waste management policies Build a modern waste collection and separation system Address the illegal dumping Seek cooperation with relevant authorities
		Removal of existing litter and its disposal: Collaborate with stakeholders to implement programmes and initiatives for identification, removal, and sound disposal of land-based marine litter
2.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from sea-based sources	Legal and economic instruments: Adopt legal and economic instruments which are consistent with international agreements such as UNCLOS and MARPOL and its Annexes Reinforce the implementation of existing national legal instruments in compliance with international agreements such as MARPOL and its Annex V, London Convention and Protocol, Basel Convention, and FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Provide and improve reception facilities for all types of ship-generated waste in ports, harbours, terminals, and marinas Develop the prevention and reduction of marine litter from sea-based sources for fisheries and marine tourism Develop existing legislation requiring all fishing gear to be identified/marked
2.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from sea-based sources	Removal of existing marine litter and its disposal: Collaborate with stakeholders to implement programmes and initiatives to locate, remove, and dispose the sea-based marine litter
3.	Monitoring and assessment of marine litter	Expert group: Establish Marine Litter Monitoring Expert Group under COBSEA Working Group on Marine Litter
3.	Monitoring and assessment of marine litter	Regional and national marine litter monitoring programmes: Prepare regional guidance on the development of harmonized National Marine Litter and Microplastic Monitoring Programmes (henceforth, Monitoring Programmes) Conduct regional training on the development and implementation of harmonized Monitoring Programmes Work towards Monitoring Programmes based on respective national policies, approaches, and circumstances Prepare regional reports on marine litter and microplastic and delivery against Sustainable Development Goal target 14.1 Develop the regional marine litter and microplastic monitoring meta-database or portal
4.	Activities supporting the implementation of the action plan	Regional and international cooperation and reporting: Promote implementation of the action plan, advise and assist the COBSEA Intergovernmental Meeting and COBSEA Secretariat Establish institutional cooperation with relevant global and regional entities Establish partnerships with cities Convene relevant regional conferences
		National planning and policy frameworks: Develop and implement national action plan on marine litter or equivalent documents Develop regional sectoral guidelines on the prevention and reduction of marine litter for sectors of waste management, tourism, and plastic manufacturing Develop, at the regional level, a reporting format on national planning and policy frameworks
		Research activities: Support research and development including technology, approaches, and behavioural sciences to prevent marine litter Develop and carry out research on the impact of marine litter on the marine and coastal environment and economy Develop and support research on the effectiveness of market-based instruments related to marine litter Undertake marine litter trajectory modelling Consider the analysis of plastic flows into the region and their contribution to marine litter generation
		Information, education, outreach and involvement of stakeholders: Encourage and assist the involvement of stakeholders in implementation of plan Support the marine litter clean-up campaigns Implement the awareness raising campaigns and activities for public Develop the suitable class="table table-striped" information material on action plan and translate it into national languages
		Training and capacity building: Develop and implement regional education and training for different groups across sectors and stakeholder Provide technical training and capacity building to staff from national and municipal governments, port authorities, and shipping industries

Source: COBSEA (2019).

UNEP (2008), Marine Litter in the East Asian Seas Region. https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29105 (accessed 27 November 2020).
COBSEA (2019), COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter 2019. Bangkok: COBSEA Secretariat and UNEP. https://www.unep.org/cobsea/resources/policy-and-strategy/cobsea-regional-action-plan-marine-litter-2019-rap-mali#:~:text=The%20overall%20goal%20of%20the,the%20East%20Asian%20Seas%20region (accessed 16 January 2020).

Overview

ASEAN Initiatives

COBSEA

G20 Summit and Osaka Blue Ocean Vision

Mekong River Commission

London Convention

Basel Convention

MARPOL

COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter

Four key actions are enclosed in the action plan. Table 1 summarises the specific actions from those four key actions.

Table 1. Key Actions and Specific Actions on the Action Plan

No.	Key Actions	Specific Actions
1.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from land-based sources	Legal and economic instruments: Enhance leadership, implementation, and quality of government efforts Establish policy making mechanism and supporting agency for the implementation of solid waste management policies Adopt harmonized legal and economic instruments through fiscal and economic instruments such as tax, ban, and deposit-refund system
		Integrated waste management: Dialogue with industry on waste management and identify incentives and measures to promote sustainable practices Establish policy making mechanism and supporting agency for the implementation of solid waste management policies Build a modern waste collection and separation system Address the illegal dumping Seek cooperation with relevant authorities
		Removal of existing litter and its disposal: Collaborate with stakeholders to implement programmes and initiatives for identification, removal, and sound disposal of land-based marine litter
2.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from sea-based sources	Legal and economic instruments: Adopt legal and economic instruments which are consistent with international agreements such as UNCLOS and MARPOL and its Annexes Reinforce the implementation of existing national legal instruments in compliance with international agreements such as MARPOL and its Annex V, London Convention and Protocol, Basel Convention, and FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Provide and improve reception facilities for all types of ship-generated waste in ports, harbours, terminals, and marinas Develop the prevention and reduction of marine litter from sea-based sources for fisheries and marine tourism Develop existing legislation requiring all fishing gear to be identified/marked
2.	Prevent and reduce marine litter from sea-based sources	Removal of existing marine litter and its disposal: Collaborate with stakeholders to implement programmes and initiatives to locate, remove, and dispose the sea-based marine litter
3.	Monitoring and assessment of marine litter	Expert group: Establish Marine Litter Monitoring Expert Group under COBSEA Working Group on Marine Litter
3.	Monitoring and assessment of marine litter	Regional and national marine litter monitoring programmes: Prepare regional guidance on the development of harmonized National Marine Litter and Microplastic Monitoring Programmes (henceforth, Monitoring Programmes) Conduct regional training on the development and implementation of harmonized Monitoring Programmes Work towards Monitoring Programmes based on respective national policies, approaches, and circumstances Prepare regional reports on marine litter and microplastic and delivery against Sustainable Development Goal target 14.1 Develop the regional marine litter and microplastic monitoring meta-database or portal
4.	Activities supporting the implementation of the action plan	Regional and international cooperation and reporting: Promote implementation of the action plan, advise and assist the COBSEA Intergovernmental Meeting and COBSEA Secretariat Establish institutional cooperation with relevant global and regional entities Establish partnerships with cities Convene relevant regional conferences
		National planning and policy frameworks: Develop and implement national action plan on marine litter or equivalent documents Develop regional sectoral guidelines on the prevention and reduction of marine litter for sectors of waste management, tourism, and plastic manufacturing Develop, at the regional level, a reporting format on national planning and policy frameworks
		Research activities: Support research and development including technology, approaches, and behavioural sciences to prevent marine litter Develop and carry out research on the impact of marine litter on the marine and coastal environment and economy Develop and support research on the effectiveness of market-based instruments related to marine litter Undertake marine litter trajectory modelling Consider the analysis of plastic flows into the region and their contribution to marine litter generation
		Information, education, outreach and involvement of stakeholders: Encourage and assist the involvement of stakeholders in implementation of plan Support the marine litter clean-up campaigns Implement the awareness raising campaigns and activities for public Develop the suitable class="table table-striped" information material on action plan and translate it into national languages
		Training and capacity building: Develop and implement regional education and training for different groups across sectors and stakeholder Provide technical training and capacity building to staff from national and municipal governments, port authorities, and shipping industries

Source: COBSEA (2019).

UNEP (2008), Marine Litter in the East Asian Seas Region. https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29105 (accessed 27 November 2020).
COBSEA (2019), COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter 2019. Bangkok: COBSEA Secretariat and UNEP. https://www.unep.org/cobsea/resources/policy-and-strategy/cobsea-regional-action-plan-marine-litter-2019-rap-mali#:~:text=The%20overall%20goal%20of%20the,the%20East%20Asian%20Seas%20region (accessed 16 January 2020).

International Agreements

COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter

Table 1. Key Actions and Specific Actions on the Action Plan

References

COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter

Table 1. Key Actions and Specific Actions on the Action Plan

References

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