The current status of the efforts to address plastic pollution in Asia and the Pacific

For a pollution free planet, UNEP has been implementing plastic pollution-related projects in the Mekong basin countries since 2019. Past projects aimed to identify a region-based model for monitoring and assessment of plastic leakage and pollution reduction targeting land-based plastic leakage entering waterways such as rivers and canals or drainages to the sea. UNEP now focuses on providing the riverine communities in the Mekong Region with the means to address the problem of plastic pollution in areas and sectors with climate change-induced risks, building on existing initiatives and instruments and supported by and grounded in science, international cooperation, and multi-stakeholder engagement.

In this context, Hotta presented the current status of the efforts  to address plastic pollution in  Asia and the Pacific.