International Marine Debris Conference, Busan, Republic of Korea, closing session

 International Marine Debris Conference, Busan, Republic of Korea

Closing keynote

IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim 

IExcellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished participants,

First of all, allow me to thank the organizers for what has been a highly successful conference.

It has been a productive week, during which you have shared the latest knowledge and experiences on marine plastic litter and other marine debris.

This Conference comes at a critical time, during a year where we have seen renewed efforts by the international community to turn the tide on marine pollution and take action to ensure we manage the ocean sustainably - not only for ourselves but for generations to come.

After two years of delays due to the pandemic, 2022 has indeed been a busy year for the governance of the ocean with many events and conferences throughout the year.

What these events have repeatedly told the global community, is that we need greater ambition at all levels to address the dire state of the ocean.

We need to act decisively and urgently to improve the health, productivity, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean and its ecosystems.

And to do this we need to go from dialogue to action; we need to continue learning from each other; we need to share information and keep providing policy makers and decision makers with the latest data and science while filling the remaining knowledge gaps.

The exchange of information will be crucial as we move forward toward the new international legally binding agreement.

We must therefore ensure that the experience and knowledge you have shared so generously this week is widely shared, to inform the processes, decisions and future actions taken at global, regional and national levels.

We can all agree that one of the most important lessons from this week is the importance of engaging in developing the internationally legally binding agreement on plastic pollution currently being negotiated at the United Nations Environment Assembly, which will address the full lifecycle of plastic, from production to disposal.

At IMO Member States recognize the importance of eliminating marine litter and the need to further strengthen our efforts, in keeping with the mandate of IMO, as the UN specialized agency responsible for the global regulatory framework for international shipping and the prevention of pollution from dumping wastes at sea,

In 2018 the IMO Action Plan to address marine plastic litter from ships was adopted, which was complemented by a Strategy in 2021.

The Strategy sets a vision to "strengthen the international framework and compliance with the relevant IMO instruments, endeavouring to achieve zero plastic waste discharges to sea from ships by 2025".

One of the lessons learned over the last decade is that this issue and its solutions span across regions, sectors and stakeholders.

In addressing marine plastic litter, IMO therefore works closely with the scientific community as well as other UN agencies as the Secretariat for the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP).

IMO works closely with partners such as FAO, UN Global Compact, UNDP, and a number of donor agencies to implement activities at a global level that support legal and policy reforms at a national level in marine waste management in developing countries.

Through capacity-building activities and pilot projects, we are promoting improved operations to reduce and where possible eliminate sea-based sources of litter in the shipping and fisheries industries.

A good example is the GloLitter Partnerships joint project, together with FAO, with its main funding support coming from Norway, which I am sure you have heard about during the Conference.

Private sector partners also play an integral role in our global efforts, bringing innovative ideas and technologies to solve this global problem.

We are proud to be working with industry and numerous other stakeholders on these matters, not least through the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, which IMO is currently co-chairing with Canada.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is no doubt that the time to act is now. As the discussions and presentations this week have clearly shown, we have a wealth of experience and expertise on these matters, and a very dedicated community that has come together here in Busan.

Sharing this information is critical to strengthening and underpinning the work we have ahead of us.

We must not only negotiate the new plastics treaty, but also support the wealth of work that is already ongoing to tackle marine plastic pollution at every level – through global and sectoral bodies, regional forums, and local communities.

The ocean is at the heart of building a sustainable future; we cannot have a healthy planet without a healthy ocean.

Plastic pollution is one of the main stressors that we humans have imposed on the marine environment, and we know that the ocean is crumbling under these pressures.

But as you all have shown this week, we have the knowledge and commitment to address it, and we leave Busan with the determination to work even harder to do so.

Thank you.

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