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Please also look for more information at the following websites to get further information on the marine litter issue and activities carried out by our partner organizations to reduce marine litter and conserve the marine environment.
The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA):
The Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008 is organized by the COBSEA Secretariat and the COBSEA member countries in collaboration with partners such as Clean Up the World, Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup and Green Fins.
COBSEA is the UNEP Regional Seas Programme for the East Asian Seas region, and its secretariat is the lead agency of the United Nations for marine environmental matters in East Asia. In 2006, COBSEA initiated its marine litter activities by carrying out a review on marine litter in the region. As a result, the COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP-MALI) was adopted in 2008. The COBSEA RAP-MALI determines priority areas for marine litter activities within COBSEA during the coming years. The Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008 is part of these actions.
If you want more information on the campaign, please do not hesitate to contact:
COBSEA Secretariat
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UN Building, Floor 2, Block B
Rajdamnern Nok Avenue
Bangkok 10200
Thailand
Phone: +66 2 288 1860, 1889, 1905 or 2214
Fax: +66 2 281 2428
Email: kleesuwan.unescap@un.org
Links: www.cobsea.org
UNEP Regional Seas Programme:
The Regional Seas Programme, launched in 1974, aims to address the accelerating degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through the sustainable management and use of the marine and coastal environment. In response to the global challenge posed by marine litter, UNEP’s Regional Seas Coordinating Office has embarked on the development of a ‘global initiative on marine litter’.
More information can be found at: www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter.
International Year of the Reef 2008:
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among governments, international and non-governmental organizations that aims to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems. In 1997 ICRI initiated its first International Year of the Reef (IYOR) campaign with over 225 organizations in 50 countries and territories participating, over 700 articles in papers and magazines generated and hundreds of scientific surveys undertaken. Recognizing that there continues to be an urgent need to protect, manage and understand coral reefs and associated ecosystems, ICRI carries out the IYOR 2008 campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs involving individuals, corporations, schools, governments and organizations from around the globe.
Link: www.iyor.org
Clean up the World (CUW):
Clean Up the World is a community based environmental program that inspires and empowers individuals and communities around the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment. Now in its 15th year, Clean Up the World, held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), mobilises over 35 million volunteers from more than 120 countries annually, making it one of the largest community-based environmental campaigns in the world.
Link: www.cleanuptheworld.org
Ocean Conservancy:
Ocean Conservancy is a non-governmental organization that has worked for more than three decades toward its goal of a wild, healthy ocean. In all its work, Ocean Conservancy strives to be the world's foremost advocate for the oceans. Besides its other working interests, Ocean Conservancy started to coordinate and organize international coastal cleanups (ICC´s) in 1989 involving volunteers from around the globe and 55 U.S. states and territories by clearing tons of trash from coastlines, rivers and lakes.
Links: www.oceanconservancy.org/icc
Green Fins Project:
The Green Fins project was initiated and is coordinated by the UNEP COBSEA Secretariat in an effort to increase public awareness on sustainable tourism practices. It aims to develop a network of environmentally friendly dive operators jointly promoting eco-friendly practices. Its various activities are designed to improve the monitoring of coral reefs and promote enhanced public awareness.
Links: Thailand: www.greenfins-thailand.org; Philippines: www.greenfinsphilippines.com.