Executive Committee
The 7IMDC was co-hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Environment Programme, and was organized with the support of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation.
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (MOF)
MOF has an executive responsibility for marine-related work encompassing shipping & port industry, fisheries industry, fishing community & coastal city, marine envrionment, maritime safety, marine tourism & leisure activity and maritime territory. MOF is well aware of urgency on the issues of marine debris and has been responding to the marine debris pollution with meticulously designed plans and policies with a goal to achieve ‘Marine Plastic Free Society’ by 2050.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP hosts the secretariats of many critical multilateral environmental agreements and research bodies, and provides secretariat services for the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML). as well as the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities.
United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is the U.S. government’s lead for addressing marine debris as created by the U.S. Congress in 2006. The MDP achieves its mission through five main pillars: Removal, Prevention, Research, Regional Coordination, and Emergency Response. MDP staff is positioned across the U.S. in order to support projects and partnerships with state and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry. The vision of NOAA’s MDP is “The global ocean and its coasts free from the impacts of marine debris.”
Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM)
As the only marine environment management organization in the Republic of Korea, KOEM implements various projects such as disposing marine debris, restoring the marine ecosystem, designating and managing marine protected areas(MPAs), responding to oil spills, and operating Marine Environment Research and Training Institute. KOEM aspires to play a pivotal role in making our ocean cleaner and will stay committed to bring positive changes upon the marine environment.