AJC UNITES YOUTH LEADERS TO COMBAT MARINE POLLUTION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) will hold the ASEAN-Japan Young Environmental Leaders’ Network (AJYELN) launch ceremony on Sept 21 via zoom online webinar.

The launch will officially introduce the 37 young fellows who were competitively selected among hundreds of applicants from all ASEAN Member States and Japan.

According to AJC in a statement, the AJYELN fellows will present their respective projects that address plastic pollution issues in their local communities.

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AJYELN is the first of a multi-year programme of the AJC that aims to recruit and train young environmental leaders aged 15 to 25 years old, which unites belief in youth-driven environmental advocacy and leadership for a sustainable future.

The project is part of the AJC’s larger programme, Sustainable Blue Seas and Green Planet, aiming to support the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and particularly the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN (2021-2025).

Since 2020, the AJC has launched programmes addressing marine plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions in ASEAN and Japan, which create and enhance movements to raise awareness among children and young people.

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Additionally, the AJC collaborated with 22 ASEAN and Japanese students, or “fellows”, to create the "Future Leaders’ Declaration on ASEAN-Japan Cooperation for International Marine Plastic Waste".

Following this, the "ASEAN-Hiroshima Eco-School for Marine Plastic Waste Education" and "ASEAN-Japan Eco-School for Marine Plastic Waste" were conducted, implementing the fellows' recommendations in the Declaration.

By 2022, the Eco-School programme reached over 12,500 elementary and high school students in ASEAN Member States and Japan. These online lectures, delivered in local languages, covered proper plastic use and disposal, as well as behavioural practices to reduce the volume of plastics in the ocean.

Registration for the webinar is now open and free of charge but limited to 1,000 slots on a first-come, first-served basis.

-- BERNAMA