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Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) in collaboration with The World Bank, The Asahi Shimbun Company will hold an international symposium on the current status of plastic pollution in developing countries in Asia on February 6.

Today the problem of marine plastic debris is a serious global environmental concern. While plastic products have made human modern life more convenient, plastic debris that flows into rivers and oceans have a negative impact on sea and marine life, destroying ecosystems. This symposium will focus on developing countries in Asia, which are regarded as the main sources of marine plastic debris, and discuss the current status of plastic pollution and various efforts to combat it. We will also evaluate the international efforts to increase the effectiveness of countermeasures. (Simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English will be available.)

[Keynote Speakers]
Michikazu KOJIMA Chief Senior Researcher, Inter-disciplinary Studies Center, IDE-JETRO
He holds B.A. in Economics, Keio University. M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of the Expert Committee on Hazardous Wastes of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment, also a member of the Working Group of Experts on Environmentally Sound Management of hazardous and other wastes of the Basel Convention.

Benoît BOSQUET Regional Director for Sustainable Development for East Asia and Pacific, The World Bank
He holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Ph.D. in Environmental Policy from the University of Maryland. He has coordinated global partnerships for climate change mitigation, including the Prototype Carbon Fund, BioCarbon Fund and Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

[Panelists]
Muhammad Reza CORDOVA, Senior Researcher, Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency
Michihiro OI, Director, Water Environment Division, Environmental Management Bureau, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Fujio KOJIMA, CEO, Pirika, Inc./Pirika Association
Anna OPOSA, Executive Director, Save Philippine Seas

Details and Registration
There will be limited seating available due to COVID-19 precautions. If you wish to participate in-person at the symposium venue, please kindly contact Outreach Event Division in advance.

[Press Contact]
Outreach Event Division, Research Operations Department, IDE-JETRO
E-mail: sympo-sc@ide.go.jp
Tel: 043-299-9536 FAX:043-299-9726