Regional Litter Project

The Republic of Korea (RoK) expressed its interest in supporting and funding a regional project tackling sea-based sources of marine plastic litter with a focus on countries of Asia.

The GloLitter Partnerships Project provided the foundation of the Regional Litter project (RegLitter) which would allow further implementation of the priorities of specific Asian countries at the national level while further advancing their cooperation at the regional level.

The OceanLitter Programme was created to house both RegLitter and GloLitter as both aim to prevent and reduce sea-based marine plastic litter within the Asia region.

RegLitter builds upon a globally tested platform of resources and activities including various knowledge products, training activities, and National Action Plans (NAPs).

Total Budget

RegLitter will run with a budget of approximately $5.5 million USD donated by the Republic of Korea.

Geographic Focus

Seven countries are engaged: India, Indonesia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

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Expected Outcomes

  • Regional awareness of sea-based sources of marine plastic litter is expanded.
  • Countries undertake legal, policy and institutional reforms.
  • The institutional capacity for Port State Control (PSC) is improved.
  • Public-private partnerships spur the development of cost-effective sea-based marine plastic litter management solutions.
  • Women are empowered to participate in activities to reduce sea-based sources of marine plastic litter.

Achievements

IMO, in collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU), with funding from the OceanLitter Programme, developed the MARPOL Annex V E-learning course. The course, consisting of four well-organized modules, is freely available on the IMO E-Learning platform: https://lms.imo.org/moodle310/.

It is currently available in English, with plans to expand to French and Spanish, in line with the commitment of IMO to enhancing multilingualism across its work.

In December 2025 representatives from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam came together in Kochi, India, for a Regional Task Force Meeting to enhance their capacity to combat plastic pollution from ships and protect the marine environment.

What's Next

  • Develop and/or update National Action Plans (NAPs) for each of the seven countries engaged in the project.
  • Develop draft legislation to further assist the incorporation of the international legal framework within national jurisdictions.