SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Representatives from the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) participated in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Forum on Mitigating Plastic Pollution from Runoff, held from October 29 to November 1, 2024, at the Centara Life Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. The forum, supported by the Government of Japan, gathered leaders from government, industry, NGOs, and academia to address the urgent issue of plastic pollution, especially runoff impacting river and marine ecosystems. UNEP’s current project, “Strengthening Plastic Pollution Management in the Mekong and Pacific,” aims to implement solutions that prevent plastic leakage throughout the value chain, focusing on alternatives to plastic, advanced technologies, and policies like Extended Producer Responsibility.
Representing SEAFDEC, Mr. Fumiya Takahashi, Assistant Project Manager for the Japanese Trust Fund Program, presented SEAFDEC’s JAIF Marine Debris Project. This initiative supports regional cooperation and capacity-building to mitigate marine debris in fisheries, in alignment with the “ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris.” Mr. Takahashi highlighted SEAFDEC’s commitment to the framework’s priorities: policy support, research and capacity building, public awareness, and private sector engagement. SEAFDEC emphasized the importance of the fisheries sector’s role in combating plastic pollution, providing targeted solutions that prevent debris from entering waterways.
In discussions on donor initiatives, SEAFDEC collaborated with other stakeholders to explore effective strategies for donor partnerships, emphasizing the integration of sustainable projects into local policies and advancing the transition to a circular economy. The forum highlighted the importance of multi-sector engagement and established a proactive, global approach to tackling plastic pollution. SEAFDEC’s participation underscored its commitment to sustainable fisheries and environmental responsibility on an international scale.
