The GloLitter Partnerships Project is joined by the RegLitter Project and proposed PRO-SEAS project under the IMO OceanLitter Programme, to allow for efficient coordination and knowledge-sharing between the projects to benefit member states in the drive to combat marine plastic litter from the shipping and fisheries industries. The Programme ensures continued positive progress towards a healthier marine ecosystem through implementation of the international conventions and instruments of IMO such as Marpol Annex V, London Convention/Protocol and implementation of the IMO Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships, as well as FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear, and towards the relevant Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Project coordination teams from IMO and FAO work closely on the jointly implemented projects, bringing together representatives from both the maritime and fisheries administrations of participant countries to harmonise efforts to support national legal, policy and institutional reform, promote the provision of adequate Port Reception Facilities to receive plastic waste, facilitate cooperation to share best practices at the regional level, empower women in finding solutions to issues of marine plastic litter, and spearhead marking systems to combat discarded fishing gear.
The programmatic approach allows for each project in the multi-donor portfolio to benefit from the work undertaken in other - enabling efficient use of the resources available, enhancing cooperation to assist member states, and ensuring continued progress towards the shared objectives in management of sea-based marine plastic litter (SBMPL).
The programme is also home to the OceanLitter Global Industry Alliance (GIA), which is currently calling for submissions expressions of interest from companies in the shipping and fisheries sectors to join the efforts to protect oceans from plastic litter.