The second part of the 25th Intergovernmental Meeting of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), chaired by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), wrapped up in Hanoi on October 13.

Accordingly, member states agreed to take urgent actions and seek effective solutions to deal with plastic pollution and challenges to marine and coastal ecological systems at present and in the future.

Deputy General Director of the MONRE's Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) Pham Thu Hang said COBSEA, which comprises Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, showed their serious commitments at regional and global levels to enhance pollution prevention at sea and on mainland such as ocean sewage and eutrophication.

The event also afforded Vietnam a chance to make active contributions to regional and global initiatives on marine plastic waste, the blue marine economy, marine and coastal spatial planning, and marine protected areas.

During the two-day meeting, delegates heard a report on COBSEA’s activities, adopted an action plan on marine waste, established the EAS Regional Node within the framework of the global partnership on marine waste, and updated negotiations on achieving international legally binding tools to end plastic pollution.

The first part of the meeting was held online in September. The 26th meeting will be hosted by Cambodia next year./.