Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council and The Habibie Center in Jakarta jointly staged a raft of events earlier this month in the Indonesian city under a memorandum of agreement on marine debris management concluded between the two sides in September.
According to the OAC, the two sides held an event Nov. 5 to launch the Indonesia Marine Debris Management Cooperation Project.
In a prerecorded message played at the ceremony, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling called for expanded cross-border cooperation to address the marine crisis in the Indo-Pacific. In response, THC Chair Ilham Akbar Habibie said that as a public interest group, the THC is honored to work with the OAC to tackle marine waste challenges while raising public awareness.
At a workshop the following day, international speakers shared their countries’ best practices. These included Indonesia’s eco-town initiative, the Philippines’ national action plan on marine litter and Taiwan’s innovative approach of managing marine litter with an unmanned electric boat.
The OAC also arranged for a delegation comprising eight Taiwanese youths to visit government agencies, think tanks and nongovernmental organizations in Indonesia for exchanges on marine waste governance. The participants said the visit greatly enhanced their understanding of how the Indonesian government and society are managing marine debris through beach cleanups, environmental education and plastic reduction initiatives.
The OAC anticipated that the visit would pave the way for more bilateral cooperation in areas such as civic education, waste reduction innovation and youth networking to promote marine sustainability in the Indo-Pacific. (SFC-E)
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