East Asian Seas countries are current in the process of negotiating a global agreement to put an end to plastic pollution and marine plastic litter, said Pham Thu Hang, Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Institute of Seas and Islands (VISI) on October 12.
An exercise to stop oil spills in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau
The regional countries are close to a new agreement on global biodiversity goals through the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, aiming to conserve and protect the nature and essential natural ecosystem services for humans, Hang told the 25th Inter-governmental Meeting of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Part Two, underway in Hanoi.
The event brought together representatives from nine COBSEA member states, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
It is a very promising joint initiative by countries in the East Asian Seas region, she said, noting that the marine and coastal ecosystems of the Seas of East Asia are at risk of habitat loss, pollution and climate change due to human activities.
She went on to say that Vietnam has taken various measures to tackle these issues. It has adopted the 2020 Law on Environment Protection; and issued a national strategy for sustainable development of marine economy in tandem with protection of environment and ocean ecosystems and a national action plan for management of marine plastic debris by 2030, she noted, adding that it has also accelerated plastic awareness campaigns and pushed for scientific research, innovation, technology transfer and new public-private partnership in addressing plastic pollution.
Vietnam maintains its political commitment to forming a global agreement on marine plastic pollution based on international laws and within the UN framework, for a blue ocean, green planet, peace, stability and prosperity, she stated.
VNA
