KBRN, Jakarta: The Habibie Center (THC) and Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) have officially launched the “Indonesia Marine Debris Management Cooperation Project,” a joint initiative under the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed in Taipei on September 15, 2025.

As a follow-up to this commitment, the project’s implementation was formally inaugurated on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The collaboration includes an international workshop and joint research focused on marine debris governance in the Indo-Pacific region.

The workshop, scheduled for November 6, will feature speakers from Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, the joint research will explore international cooperation in plastic waste management technologies and innovations, with findings to be published through ASEAN Briefs, a THC publication platform.

The launch event in Indonesia was opened by THC’s Supervisory Board Chairman Ilham Akbar Habibie and OAC’s Director of International Development Lee Shan Ying.

In his opening remarks, Ilham emphasized the urgency of raising public awareness about marine debris and its impact on the sustainability of maritime ecosystems.

“We must strengthen human resource capacity across all stakeholders involved in marine debris governance through international cooperation and cross-sector synergy,” said Ilham Akbar Habibie.

Dr. Lee echoed this sentiment, noting that as a maritime nation, Taiwan recognizes the importance of integrating resources among stakeholders and sees international partnerships as a driving force for progress in the Indo-Pacific.

“This collaboration between THC and OAC reflects Taiwan’s vision for a prosperous ocean through global partnerships for a sustainable future,” Lee stated.

He stressed that the ocean knows no borders, and therefore, the responsibility to protect it should not be confined by territorial boundaries.

Also speaking at the event, Muhammad Reza Cordova, a Research Professor at the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), highlighted that marine debris originating from Indonesia has been found drifting into other regions, including the Indian Ocean and even reaching the African continent.

He emphasized the need for comprehensive solutions to address plastic waste from upstream to downstream. “Multi-stakeholder synergy is key to successful marine debris management in Indonesia,” he said.

Prof. Cordova also underscored the importance of understanding emerging findings related to marine plastic pollution, such as the presence of microplastic traces in various Indonesian waters.

The THC–OAC partnership aims to align Indonesia’s efforts in marine debris management with Taiwan’s experience and capacity in improving waste governance. The collaboration is rooted in the shared geographic characteristics of both nations as archipelagic and maritime regions that serve as marine debris catchment zones in the Indo-Pacific.

Through activities such as workshops and research publications, the initiative seeks to foster scalable, multi-stakeholder cooperation frameworks across the region.

To that end, The Habibie Center invites national and international partners from various sectors to join forces in supporting efforts to tackle marine plastic pollution. (Diva Rifdah/Sri Wahyuni)