The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) will hold the 2nd Symposium on Marine Plastic Waste Education online on Mar 1, 14:00-15:30 (JST) which will feature the student-led initiatives of selected schools from Japan and eight ASEAN countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand, who participated in the Ecoschool lectures by the AJC.
Welcome and Opening Remarks will be given by Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), and Mr. Yasuyuki Hata, Director-General, Environmental Management Bureau, Ministry of Environment, Japan, respectively.
The Symposium is part of a multi-year programme of the AJC that promotes educational awareness on the issue of marine plastic waste among the young generation, from elementary to high school.
In 2021, the programme piloted in Hiroshima, Japan in cooperation with the ASEAN Hiroshima Association, and included three ASEAN countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
This year, the scope of participation has expanded to eight ASEAN countries and four prefectures in Japan (i.e. Hiroshima, Osaka, Saitama, and Tokyo).
Since April 2022, about 7,000 elementary and high school students have participated in the Ecoschool project. Ten AJC fellows, who were part of the 22 student fellows that drafted and launched the “Future Leaders’ Declaration on ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for International Marine Plastic Waste” in March 2021, conducted the online lectures in 10 languages (Japanese, English, Bahasa Malay, Bahasa Indonesia, Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Bisaya, Tagalog, and Thai).
This year, the Symposium will feature the lighting of candleholders made of marine plastic waste collected from Tokyo Bay to symbolize spreading the light and commitment to “nurture good habits for cleaner oceans” involving the AJC fellows and partner organizations. This act signifies a shared commitment to change behaviors and promote a conscious effort to reduce plastic waste in the region. The Symposium will also feature messages of support from global and regional like-minded partners.
The AJC cooperated with the following organizations to implement the Ecoschool project, namely Economic Research Institute for East Asia Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (ERIA-RKCMPD) in Jakarta, UN-Habitat Philippines, the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, Ministry of Education, Brunei, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Lao PDR.
The symposium registration is now open and free of charge.
Source: Lao News Agency