IMO/FAO Glolitter partnership project implements its first in-person Regional Task Force meeting
On September 18th the GloLitter Partnerships Project organized the first Regional Task Force meeting for Asia and Pacific regions in Busan, Korea sponsored by Governments of Norway, Australian and Saudi Arabia. Twenty participants from ten countries participated in this technical meeting where GloLitter Lead Partner Countries (LPCs) presented their draft National Action Plans addressing Sea-based Marine Plastic Litter (SBMPL).Partnering Countries (PCs) also shared situational analyses of SBMPL at the national level and presented existing gaps. With guidance from the GloLitter Partnerships Project’s Coordinating Unit (PCU), the countries discussed potential joint regional activities where LPCs and PCs would establish bilateral and multilateral twinning activities based on the problems and commonalities identified to address the global issue of SBMPL. Within the next few weeks, the twinned countries will present a detailed proposal to the GloLitter PCU that outlines joint activities identified and resources required from GloLitter to implement the proposed twinning arrangements. It is anticipated that implementation of selected twinning activities will commence before the end of the year.
It should be noted that this Regional Task Force meeting took place at the start of the 7th International Marine Debris Conference in Busan, where the GloLitter hosted and participated in a technical session on SBMPL presenting its goals and project progress to date.