VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - To bring ASEAN and the Pacific closer together, Indonesia organized the "ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Workshop on Marine Plastic Debris" on (15/06).

As is known, one of the priorities of Indonesia's Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 is to focus on the Pacific. Bringing ASEAN and the Pacific closer together is one form of concrete implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific proposed by Indonesia in 2019.

The issue of handling marine plastic waste was chosen because this issue is a common challenge faced by ASEAN and Pacific countries.

Indonesia's Minister of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Siti Nurbaya, in the opening video message emphasized that, "viewing the Indo-Pacific as one interconnected region is important to tackle the problem of marine plastic debris."

New Zealand's Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Rachel Brooking, said in her video message that "the ocean has become a dumping ground for all kinds of pollution, from plastics to toxic chemicals, and countries in the Indo-Pacific are at the center of the ocean plastic crisis".

According to estimates, marine plastic debris will account for more than 80% of all marine debris by 2050.

Therefore, it is important to promote broader Indo-Pacific cooperation by engaging the Pacific region on the issue of marine plastic debris, emphasized Minister of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Siti Nurbaya, in the opening video message.

The workshop featured speakers and participants from ASEAN countries and Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members, including from Cook Islands and Kiribati.

The presence of speakers and participants from PIF is also the first step in ASEAN-PIF cooperation.

The speakers and participants of the Workshop also reviewed the Klungkung Temporary Waste Management Site (TOSS) and examples of harmonious application of sustainable lifestyles in Penglipuran Tourism Village.

Workshop activities were held at the Regional Capacity Center for Clean Seas (RC3S), Bali, on June 15, 2023.

This workshop was organized in collaboration between the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and RC3S Bali, the New Zealand Mission to ASEAN, and PIF. (VOI)