Towards Global Solutions

The Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) was established and launched 18 June 2012. GNA is a member of this important partnership that functions as a coordinating instrument to attain the objectives set below. Membership is voluntary and includes people, agencies, governments and a wide variety of industry representatives.

The objectives of the GPML are as follows:

1. To reduce the impacts of marine litter worldwide on economies, ecosystems, animal welfare and human health.
2. To enhance international cooperation and coordination through the promotion and implementation of the Honolulu Strategy - a global framework for the prevention and management of marine debris, as well as the Honolulu Commitment – a multi-stakeholder pledge.
3. To promote knowledge management, information sharing and monitoring of progress on the implementation of the Honolulu Strategy.
4. To promote resource efficiency and economic development through waste prevention (e.g. 4Rs (reduce, re-use, recycle and re-design) and by recovering valuable material and/or energy from waste.
5. To increase awareness on sources of marine litter, their fate and impacts.
6. To assess emerging issues related to the fate and potential influence of marine litter, including (micro) plastics uptake in the food web and associated transfer of pollutants, and impacts on the conservation and welfare of marine fauna.The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is developing it further in collaboration with relevant partners and will function as the Secretariat of the GPML

The following pages document some of our involvement in this partnership.