ABOUT THE REGIONAL NODE

The East Asian Seas Regional Node of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) is a regional marine litter knowledge management and networking hub of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA). The Regional Node was established by the resumed Twenty-fifth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 25) of COBSEA in 2022 to support the achievement of the COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI). The web platform of the Regional Node provides access to marine litter knowledge, resources, good practices, data, networks and learning in the East Asian Seas region.

The Regional Node brings together resources and stakeholders in the region to promote evidence-based and collaborative action on marine litter and plastic pollution. It provides access to policies, frameworks, and knowledge products on marine litter, promotes the replication of good practices, bridges science and policy with access to a regional research and data, and strengthens learning, capacity building and partnerships. In the interim, functions of the Regional Node are carried out by the COBSEA Secretariat.

The GPML is a multi-stakeholder partnership that provides a global cooperation mechanism to prevent marine litter and microplastics, with the aim of sharing knowledge and experience and advancing solutions. Regional Nodes of the GPML create regional networks to address regional knowledge, capacity and networking needs and priorities, leveraging engagement across stakeholder groups and building on and providing linkages to the global-level framework provided by the GPML. The Regional Node is linked to the Global Digital Platform of the GPML.

About COBSEA

The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) is a regional intergovernmental mechanism and one of 18 Regional Seas programmes. It is the decision-making body for the East Asian Seas Action Plan, bringing together nine countries – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Viet Nam – in protection and sustainable development of the marine and coastal environment. COBSEA focuses on marine pollution, ecosystem-based marine and coastal planning and management, and ocean governance. The COBSEA Secretariat is hosted by Thailand in Bangkok and administered by the UNEP Ecosystems Division in Nairobi.

www.cobsea.org
Home Related Legal Instruments

OVERVIEW OF MARINE LITTER RELATED LEGISLATURE, POLICIES, AND ACTION PLANS

The NOWPAP member states are already parties to the existing global marine-litter related legal framework such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention), the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) and the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention). And there are other international instruments related to marine litter, such as the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA), the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Honolulu Strategy by the United Nations Environment Programme and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal 14.1 of the United Nations General Assembly.

The G7 Summit agreed on the management of marine litter to protect the marine environment and announced the ‘G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter’ as an annex. In July 2017, the G20, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Russia, agreed on the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, which includes seven policies and 41 tasks to be implemented to cope with the marine litter problem. The G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, 2019, declared the vision to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive life cycle approach and endorsed the “G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter”.

Complying with the international conventions and agreements on marine litter, the NOWPAP member states are encouraged to have national legal frameworks dedicated to the issue and strengthen the implementation of existing policies and measures. Laws, regulations, and action plans related to marine litter have been improved in the NOWPAP member states. China strengthened the regulations on the import of plastic waste and domestic waste separation. In particular, Japan has a law targeting beach litter, which has been expanded to encompass floating and sunk litter. Korea continues to implement its 5-year action plan targeting marine litter based on a rather general law covering the general marine environment and a new law on marine litter. Russia has a new federal and regional law on solid waste. Table below summarizes most of the national laws, regulations, and action plans related to marine litter. The bold highlighted ones represent key laws and regulations.

National laws, regulations and action plans related to marine litter in member states

Classification Laws Regulations Notice/Order Action Plan

China

Environmental Protection Law


Marine Environmental Protection Law



Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Wastes


Law on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution



Law on Control of Ocean Waste Dumping

Regulations on the Prevention of Marine Environmental Pollution by Marine Construction Projects


Regulations on Prevention of the Marine Environmental Pollution by the Coastal Construction


Regulations on Prevention of Pollution Damage to the Marine Environment by Land-based Pollutants



Regulations on Strengthening Management of Plastic Package Wastes along Main Roads, in River basins and at Tourist Attractions



Regulations on the Control of Environmental Pollution by Ship-based Wastes



Regulation on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals



Regulations on the Management of Marine Dumping

Administrative Measures for the Import of Solid Waste



Administrative Measures for Examination and Approval of the Export of Hazardous Wastes

Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Progress



Water Pollution Control Action Plan


Coastal Water Pollution Control Plan



Coastal Pollution Prevention and Control Plan


Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan



Urban Black and Odorous Water Management Battle Plan



Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control



Plan on Prevention and Control of Pollution from Ship and Ports



Yangtze River Protection and Reconstruction Battle Plan



Bohai Comprehensive Management Battle Plan

Japan

Basic Environment Law (1993)


Basic Act on Ocean Policy (2007)



Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law (effective date: 25 December 1970; revised on 02 June 2006),



Law on the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster(Effective date: 25 February 1970; revised on 19 May 2004 and 30 March 2007),



Seacoast Law (effective date: 12 May 1956; revised on 08 February 2004),


Port and Harbor Law(Effective date: 31 May 1950; revised on 07 June 2006);



Law for the Promotion of Marine Litter Disposal since July 2009 (revised on 22 June 2018)



Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society(2000)

Cabinet Order of Waste Management and Public Law (Effective date: 24 September 1971; revised on 31 March 2006)


Basic Plan on Ocean Policy



Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy



Fourth Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society(2018)



Basic Policy for the Comprehensively and Effectively Promoting Measures against Marine Litter (revised 2019)



National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Litter (2019)

Korea

Environmental Policy Basic Law (1990)



Marine Environment Management Act (MEMA) came into force in January 2008 after the revision ofhttps://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=4992 Since Jan 2009;


Waste Management Act (1991);



Coastal Management Act (2000);



Marine and Fisheries Development Basic Law (2002);



Port Management Law (2008);



Act on Marine Environment Conservation and Utilization (enforced on 22 Sep 2017; enacted on 21 Mar 2017)


Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources (enforced on 21 Jan 2016; enacted on 20 Jan 2015; partial amendment)
Resource Circulation Basic Law

Regulation on the Use of Disposable Plastic Bags


The 3rd National Marine Litter Management Plan (2019~2023)



The First Resource Recycling Basic Plan (2018~2027)



Comprehensive Plan for Marine Plastics Reduction (2019)



Comprehensive measures for Recycling Waste Management (5 Aug 2018)

Russia

Federal Law on Production and Consumption Wastes(Approved on December 29, 2014);


Regional Law on Production and Consumption Wastes in Primorsky (Approved on June 29, 2009);


Federal Law on Fishery, Water and Biological Resources Preservation (Approved on June 29, 2015).

Federal Government Regulation on Solid Consumption Waste Management



Federal Government Regulation on Development, Public Discussion, Approval, Correction of Territorial Schemes in the Field of Industry and Consumption Waste Management


Federal Government Regulation on Approval of the Rules of the Arrangement of Accumulation Places of Municipal Waste and Maintaining their Register


Compulsory Regulation on the seaports

Order of Sakhalinskaya oblast Ministry of Natural Resources and Safety Environment

Federal Standard of The Best Available Technologies for Resource-Saving, Hierarchical Procedure of the Waste Management