As one of over 30 International Conferences of the 2024 East Asian Seas Congress (EAS) and World Ocean Week in Xiamen, the Marine Litter Fund Forum was held in Xiamen, East China’s Fujian province on November 6, 2024. Over 50 people attended the forum.  

The purpose of this forum is to share the necessity of establishing a fund among neighboring countries to address the marine litter problem in the East Asian region and to discuss strategies for fund-raising through cooperation.  

The forum consisted of five presentations and a panel discussion, covering such topics as trends and policies on marine litter in East Asian Seas region, marine plastic value chain, private fund trends and potential, and international cooperation and fundraising case studies. 

Through presentations and panel discussions, the forum put forward four key recommendations for the fund. The first is that implementing a diversified funding approach, encouraging contributions not only from developed countries but also from local governments and the private sector. The second is that the found should operate with a long-term perspective and support comprehensive management of land and sea-based pollution sources. The third is the fund should support technological innovation and capacity building, particularly for scientific research on emerging threats like microplastics. Finally, establishing robust performance measurement and monitoring systems will be essential for data collection, allowing for more informed and effective policy-making. 

The forum was jointly organized by Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), Our Sea of East Asia Network (OSEAN), and the World Bank, aiming to strengthen international cooperation for the protection of the marine environment and sustainable development.