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Nay Pyi Taw, 10 June 2026/Singapore, 2 July 2026: ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris participated virtually in the Open Session of the ASEAN 27th Meeting of the Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), and in-person in the 18th Meeting of the Working Group on Environmental Education. The former meeting was hosted in Myanmar and chaired by the Philippines, while the latter was held in Singapore, chaired by Viet Nam.
At the 27th AWGCME Meeting, Mr Reo Kawamura, Director for the Regional Knowledge Centre, showcased ERIA’s recent accomplishments in supporting ASEAN’s efforts to combat plastic pollution. Such achievements include:
co-hosting the ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCPP); and
publishing the handbook Plastic Pollution Countermeasures: Effective Global Actions and Case Studies from East Asia.
He also presented the Centre’s capacity-building activities carried out in 2025–2026: CIRCONOMICS on 30 September 2025 in Manila, the Philippines; DECIDE on 2–3 December 2025 in Bali, Indonesia; and INCLUSEA on 27 March 2026 in Ha Long City, Viet Nam.
Furthermore, Mr Kawamura outlined the workplan and priorities of the capacity-building programme for 2026–2027, including:
organising CIRCONOMICS and INCLUSEA for small and medium-sized enterprises, local agencies, and the informal sector in ASEAN cities;
organising DECIDE 2.0 for national and city-level policymakers in ASEAN;
enhancing negotiation skills for national and ministerial policymakers in selected ASEAN Member States; and
launching the ASEAN City Innovation Camp for Plastic Circularity & Enterprise Development (SPARK) for ASEAN entrepreneurs, start-ups, informal actors, and municipalities.
Ms Ayako Mizuno, Programme Manager at the Regional Knowledge Centre, presented an update on the activities of the Centre during the 18th AWGEE Meeting. She highlighted progress in the development of its knowledge platform, capacity-building initiatives, and youth engagement activities.
In addition to the activities reported at the 27th AWGCME Meeting, Ms Mizuno provided the following updates:
Phase II of the Breaking the Plastic Habit project, conducted in partnership with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), had concluded, with a report published in April 2026.
The Behaviour Lab Partnership was officially launched in October 2025, established by the Regional Knowledge Centre in collaboration with IGES, GIZ, Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment, and WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities. Ms Mizuno also introduced the newly launched webpage for this initiative.
Ms Mizuno also shared youth-focused activities organised by the Centre, including the ASEAN Young Green Communicators (AYGC) programme and Environmental Leadership and Project Management Training, in collaboration with partners such as GIZ and the ASEAN Japan Centre (AJC).
Nay Pyi Taw, 10 June 2026/Singapore, 2 July 2026: ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris participated virtually in the Open Session of the ASEAN 27th Meeting of the Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), and in-person in the 18th Meeting of the Working Group on Environmental Education. The former meeting was hosted in Myanmar and chaired by the Philippines, while the latter was held in Singapore, chaired by Viet Nam.
At the 27th AWGCME Meeting, Mr Reo Kawamura, Director for the Regional Knowledge Centre, showcased ERIA’s recent accomplishments in supporting ASEAN’s efforts to combat plastic pollution. Such achievements include:
co-hosting the ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCPP); and
publishing the handbook Plastic Pollution Countermeasures: Effective Global Actions and Case Studies from East Asia.
He also presented the Centre’s capacity-building activities carried out in 2025–2026: CIRCONOMICS on 30 September 2025 in Manila, the Philippines; DECIDE on 2–3 December 2025 in Bali, Indonesia; and INCLUSEA on 27 March 2026 in Ha Long City, Viet Nam.
Furthermore, Mr Kawamura outlined the workplan and priorities of the capacity-building programme for 2026–2027, including:
organising CIRCONOMICS and INCLUSEA for small and medium-sized enterprises, local agencies, and the informal sector in ASEAN cities;
organising DECIDE 2.0 for national and city-level policymakers in ASEAN;
enhancing negotiation skills for national and ministerial policymakers in selected ASEAN Member States; and
launching the ASEAN City Innovation Camp for Plastic Circularity & Enterprise Development (SPARK) for ASEAN entrepreneurs, start-ups, informal actors, and municipalities.
Ms Ayako Mizuno, Programme Manager at the Regional Knowledge Centre, presented an update on the activities of the Centre during the 18th AWGEE Meeting. She highlighted progress in the development of its knowledge platform, capacity-building initiatives, and youth engagement activities.
In addition to the activities reported at the 27th AWGCME Meeting, Ms Mizuno provided the following updates:
Phase II of the Breaking the Plastic Habit project, conducted in partnership with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), had concluded, with a report published in April 2026.
The Behaviour Lab Partnership was officially launched in October 2025, established by the Regional Knowledge Centre in collaboration with IGES, GIZ, Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment, and WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities. Ms Mizuno also introduced the newly launched webpage for this initiative.
Ms Mizuno also shared youth-focused activities organised by the Centre, including the ASEAN Young Green Communicators (AYGC) programme and Environmental Leadership and Project Management Training, in collaboration with partners such as GIZ and the ASEAN Japan Centre (AJC).
Director of the Knowledge Centre
Programme Manager
