MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project Launches in Timor-Leste

 

 

The MOF/PEMSEA ODA Project on Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region held a national Project Launching Meeting organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF), in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTE) and PEMSEA on 24 February 2026.

 

 

 

The event was led by H.E. Marcos da Cruz, Minister of MALFF, alongside the Secretaries of State for Fisheries, Agriculture, and Livestock and Forestry, and the Director General of Fisheries and the Director General of Environment of the MTE.

 

 

 

Dr. Won-Tae Shin, Regional Project Manager of the Marine Plastics ODA Project, joined the local government leaders and officials from Dili, Liquiça, Manatuto, and Atauro as well as beach monitoring institutes, Marine Environment Protector (MEP) program partners, and media representatives.

 

The launch formally marked the commencement of project implementation in Timor-Leste following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding last October 2025, reaffirming national government leadership and strengthened coordination among national agencies, local governments, and partners from the academe and non governmental organizations.

 

The meeting established a shared understanding of project objectives, deliverables, and implementation modalities, while confirming priority sites and mechanisms for collaboration. The project launch also set the direction for pilot projects to reduce marine plastic pollution through coordinated, government-led, and locally anchored implementation.

 

The “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” or the Marine Plastics Project is a six-year initiative between PEMSEA and the Republic of Korea through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. It aims to reduce marine plastics in 10 local government sites, six in the Philippines and four sites in Timor-Leste through improved governance and management, demonstration of best practices and innovative solutions, marine litter monitoring, and increasing capacity and awareness of the partner communities

 

Photos courtesy of MALFF