Jakarta, Indonesia, 8–9 September 2026 – The Southeast Asia Regional Program on Combating Marine Plastics (SEA-MaP) convened its Dissemination Event: Regional Training Program (RTP) on Plastic Waste Management in hybrid format. The two-day hybrid event brought together representatives from ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the ASEAN Secretariat to strengthen regional knowledge exchange and capacity on plastic waste management.

The RTP supports the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris, particularly Action 10 on coordinating regional training programs on plastics and waste management and contributes to strengthening the technical and institutional capacity needed to advance plastics circularity across ASEAN.

The event focused on key outputs developed under the RTP workstream, including seven Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) covering the plastic waste management spectrum, complemented by the Learner Self-Assessment and Course Recommendation Tool, the Training of Trainers (ToT) Framework and Manual, and the Waste Picker Training Toolkit. Together, these resources provide a regional learning ecosystem that supports institutions, trainers, and practitioners in accessing, adapting, and delivering practical learning on plastic waste management across different national and institutional contexts.

During the High-Level Policy Forum on Regional Capacity for Plastic Waste Management, participants exchanged national experiences and discussed approaches to strengthening capacity development in the region, including linkages with existing policies, institutional responsibilities, data systems, and operational priorities.

Building on these discussions, the practical sessions introduced participants to the RTP learning ecosystem and explored how its resources can be accessed, adapted, delivered, and cascaded across different contexts. Through platform demonstrations, country exchanges, and interactive exercises, participants considered learning priorities, delivery approaches, and pathways for national and institutional uptake of the RTP. The courses and related digital resources will be made accessible through the Regional Platform for Knowledge and Partnerships (KPP), which is being implemented under the SEA-MaP project.

The event was organized by the SEA-MaP Regional Project and facilitated by the Regional Implementation Support Unit (RISU) within United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), in coordination with the SEA-MaP Project Management Unit (PMU).

*****