Recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that the GLoLitter Partnership (GLP) program has received an extension from the main sponsor, the Norwegian Development Agency (Norad). The new end date for the GLP program is December 2025.
![The International Maritime Organization Announces The Extension Of The Global Project GLoLitter To Reduce Marine Plastic Waste Until 2025 1]()
The GLoLitter Partnership Program assists developing countries in preventing and reducing marine plastic waste from ocean transportation and fisheries, and identifying opportunities to reduce plastic use in fisheries and ocean transportation. The plan establishes sustainability mechanisms and strengthens regional cooperation to support the future transition of marine transportation and fisheries towards reducing marine plastic waste. The project is implemented in collaboration between the International Maritime Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measures included supporting selected partner countries in developing Port Waste Management Plans (PWMPs), conducting Port State Control (PSC) training at the national and regional levels, and advancing legal and policy reforms at the national level to address the issue of marine plastic waste.
Since its establishment in December 2019, the GloLitter project has developed national action plans (NAPs) to address the issue of marine plastic waste, promoted regional partnerships to implement joint projects, and produced many knowledge products to help enforce existing regulations, including Annex V of the International Maritime Organization's Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
Through this project, thousands of participants have personally or online participated in regional and national training. One key focus is empowering women to participate in important regional and global activities. This project supports countries in carrying out national legal and policy reforms to support the fulfillment of international treaty obligations related to the control of ship litter (MARPOL Annex V) and the voluntary guidelines on fishing gear marking by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The GloLitter project is part of the overall plan to address plastic waste generated by shipping and fisheries. Another project, the 'Regional Garbage Project' (Reglither), will specifically support Asian countries in addressing national priorities for marine plastic waste sources and support the implementation of regional partnerships in the region.
New proposals are currently being developed to utilize additional funding from different funders after 2025 to support the implementation of national priorities identified in the national action plan, advance regional joint initiatives, and implement pilot projects and innovative solutions to address the issue of marine plastic waste from the shipping and fisheries sectors.