Promoting Evidence-based Policymaking to Tackle Marine Plastic Pollution in Asia-Pacific

Background

Generating and accessing accurate plastic data is essential for planning, implementing, and monitoring how plastics move through the economy and leak into the environment. However, significant gaps in data availability and accessibility have posed a challenge for many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the downstream of plastics value chain, diversity of monitoring methodologies has prevented the generation of comparable information on plastic leakage to the environment. In the upstream of plastics value chain, significant issues remain in understanding the state of materials flow of plastics in the economy (e.g. production, design, and consumption trends). Simply put, monitoring and data management at national levels lags behind the need for effective policymaking.

Compiled datasets and reports are often fragmented and dispersed or sit unused in data storages or file cabinets.  In this context, enhancing accessibility to both quantitative and qualitative data is essential for promoting evidence-based and context-sensitive strategic planning. In addition, having access to a wide range of policy-relevant tools and information (e.g. those on the state of national actions and implementation challenges) can encourage mutual learning and cooperation among countries and stakeholders, further strengthening effective actions against marine plastic at the local, national, and global level. 

In the light of the above, this seminar examines some of the existing initiatives to generate, compile and share policy-relevant information as the basis of promoting evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) and enhancing collaboration on actions against plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.  

Objectives

This webinar highlights:

• ● examples of how information on plastics in the economy, plastic waste, pollution and their management are reported, shared and used for effective policy development.
• ● examples of tools and initiatives for addressing data gaps and discussing how knowledge sharing  and data management may be enhanced in an efficient and sustainable manner.
• ● some of the key issues to be considered for the discussion on the monitoring and reporting of progress.