The Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council held an event spotlighting ocean resilience Nov. 5 in Bangkok, Thailand, highlighting the government’s commitment to working with Indo-Pacific countries to manage marine debris in the region.
The event brought together academics, officials, representatives of businesses and international nongovernmental organizations from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. The institutions and ministries included the U.N. Development Programme, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies of Japan, Our Sea around East Asia Network from South Korea and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Department of Fisheries from Thailand.
The participants shared positive experiences during the event, including showing products made from marine waste, such as a lucky cat figurine made of discarded polystyrene, displayed at this year’s Creative Expo Taiwan in August, brought along by the OAC. A surfboard made from recycled fishing tools created by a Thai company, Starboard, and a local volunteer group, Trash Hero Bangkok, demonstrated the commercial possibilities of waste recycling.
The OAC stated that the event is part of the Indo-Pacific Workshop on Marine Debris Management launched by the council in 2024. It aims to enhance public-private collaboration across sectors to build an ocean waste management model in the region.
Taiwan will continue to work with the participating countries while also launching dialogue with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members like Indonesia, through the workshop, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling said. She added that the government hopes to strengthen regional cooperation in reduction and recycling waste. Kuan noted that ocean waste knows no borders and that Taiwan is committed to enhancing the blue circular economy and ocean resilience in the Indo-Pacific. (YCH-E)
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The event brought together academics, officials, representatives of businesses and international nongovernmental organizations from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. The institutions and ministries included the U.N. Development Programme, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies of Japan, Our Sea around East Asia Network from South Korea and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Department of Fisheries from Thailand.
The participants shared positive experiences during the event, including showing products made from marine waste, such as a lucky cat figurine made of discarded polystyrene, displayed at this year’s Creative Expo Taiwan in August, brought along by the OAC. A surfboard made from recycled fishing tools created by a Thai company, Starboard, and a local volunteer group, Trash Hero Bangkok, demonstrated the commercial possibilities of waste recycling.
The OAC stated that the event is part of the Indo-Pacific Workshop on Marine Debris Management launched by the council in 2024. It aims to enhance public-private collaboration across sectors to build an ocean waste management model in the region.
Taiwan will continue to work with the participating countries while also launching dialogue with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members like Indonesia, through the workshop, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling said. She added that the government hopes to strengthen regional cooperation in reduction and recycling waste. Kuan noted that ocean waste knows no borders and that Taiwan is committed to enhancing the blue circular economy and ocean resilience in the Indo-Pacific. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News