25 November: Role of Private-Public-Partnerships in Addressing Marine Debris

The Session on 25 November 12 noon (MYT) to 1500 (MYT) will cover circular economy issues.

Many APEC member economies are in the “Top 20 Economies Ranked by Mass of Mismanaged Plastic Waste”. These countries include China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam, among others. Issues such as separation at source and quality of imported plastic wastes have remain unresolved. The white paper proposed at the Symposium would aid in the tabling of effective policies that would resolve sustainability challenges of coastal cities, promote IR 4.0 digital supply chain management of plastics, and address transboundary issues. The role of community-level programmes in preventing plastic waste from entering marine ecosystems would also be reviewed.

The project will engaged public officials, CSO, NGO and SME from multiple APEC economics, especially those from the East Asia and Southeast Asia region to participate in dialogues on policy, practices and cooperation to form a truly international consortium to address plastic waste and marine debris.

Activities planned during the symposium include:

1. A public officials forum (24 November 2021), where governmental representatives from APEC member economies would share about current policies and practices with regards to marine debris
2. A stakeholder meeting (25 November 2021), where representatives from non-governmental agencies and private companies would discuss their roles in addressing marine debris
3. Inauguration of the APEC Sustainable Coastal Cities Research Consortium (26 November 2021) where academics would share about current research and technologies related to managing marine debris. This technology presentation would be held in conjunction with the launching of an APEC Sustainable Coastal Cities Research Consortium