The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) and Global Ocean Forum (GOF) will host the webinar “Current Status and Future of the Global Plastics Treaty” on Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. EST. The webinar will assemble an international group of experts to explore the progress, as well as the failures, toward addressing plastic pollution on a global scale while assessing its various implications.

Key points of action include identifying and addressing the stumbling blocks to treaty adoption, considering the implications of addressing the entire plastics life cycle, ensuring national commitments and transparency, forming explicit guidelines for establishing baselines, addressing international trade measures, respecting Indigenous rights and knowledge systems, and ensuring a science-based approach while endorsing a living treaty.

Panelists will include: Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp; Monterey Bay Aquarium Chief Conservation and Science Officer Margaret Spring; Ocean Voices Programme Head of Science Policy Research Marjo Vierros; and Center for International Environmental Law Senior Legal Campaigner (Upstream Plastics Treaty) Daniela Durán. The session will be moderated by UCI Director Tony MacDonald and GOF Executive Director Miriam Balgos. Scroll below for speaker bios.

The webinar will be the second installment of an Ocean and Climate Action series that the UCI and GOF are jointly organizing in alignment with the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Vision 2030. The webinars aim to mobilize civil society around critical ocean and climate action identified in the report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action 2022-2023 (“ROCA” report). The ROCA report reviews progress made on climate and ocean initiatives, making it a useful tool for discussion of strategies for achieving climate goals moving forward. Click here to watch the first webinar, “Catalyzing Party and Community Action on Ocean, Climate and BBNJ,” held in April.

The ROCA Report identified plastics as a key issue impacting global marine systems. Thus, the second webinar will discuss the Global Plastics Treaty and explore its implications for the management of land-based marine pollution.

The webinar is free and open to the public. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration. For questions about the event, contact Aliya Satku at asatku@monmouth.edu.

Panelist Bios

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp is the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution and head of the secretariat. Prior to this assignment, she served as director at the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. She has held key roles in inter-governmental processes, leading the work on the new global biodiversity framework. With over 25 years of experience in international environmental diplomacy, she possesses extensive knowledge in environment, climate, and sustainable development networks. She began her career with UNDP and managed groundbreaking partnerships. Her diverse roles include consulting for UNFCCC and senior advisory positions at UNDP. Mathur-Filipp holds an MS and MBA and is an alumnus of esteemed educational institutions.

Margaret Spring

Margaret Spring joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2013 to oversee its many conservation and science initiatives, including all ocean science policy work, the Seafood Watch sustainable seafood initiative and conservation research programs, including MBARI. From 2009 to 2013, she held leadership roles at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, first as chief of staff and then as principal deputy undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere. Prior to her tenure in the Obama Administration, Margaret led The Nature Conservancy’s California coastal and marine program. From 1999 to 2007, she served on Capitol Hill as senior counsel, then general counsel, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she advised members of Congress on ocean and climate issues and helped develop legislation on major science and policy topics. She is a graduate of Duke University Law School and Dartmouth College.

Marjo Vierros

Marjo Vierros is the Ocean Voices Programme’s director of coastal policy and humanities research, which undertakes interdisciplinary research on oceans issues. She is also a senior associate with the Global Oceans Forum and a Research Associate with the University of British Columbia Nereus Program. Previously she coordinated the Global Marine Governance Project at United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and undertook research with its Traditional Knowledge Initiative. With degrees in biology, oceanography and marine biology, her career has included work with research, conservation and United Nations organizations in countries in the Caribbean, North and Central America, Bermuda and the Pacific. Her research interests include ocean governance and marine biocultural diversity.

Daniela Durán

Daniela Durán is a senior legal campaigner focused on the upstream parts of the plastics treaty for the Center for International Environmental Law’s Environmental Health program. She is a Colombian campaigner, with relevant experience influencing national and international plastic policy. She worked as a public policy specialist for The Nature Conservancy, where she helped enhance the voices of Indigenous Peoples in international climate policy. She also served as a policy advocacy manager for MarViva Foundation, where she co-drafted and advocated for the approval of Colombia’s first law to reduce single-use plastic production. Daniela holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the Rosario University in Colombia, and a master’s degree in environment and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she was awarded the Chevening Scholarship for global leaders and researched the frames used for plastic pollution in national policies.

Moderator Bios

Tony MacDonald

Tony MacDonald is director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI). He was previously the executive director of the Coastal States Organization (CSO) from 1998-2005. CSO, based in Washington, DC, represents the interests of the governors of the nation’s 35 coastal states and territories on coastal and ocean policy matters. Prior to joining CSO, Tony was the special counsel and director of environmental affairs at the American Association of Port Authorities, where he represented the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) at the International Maritime Organization on negotiations on the London Convention. Tony also practiced law with a private firm in Washington, DC, and served as the environmental legislative representative for the Mayor of the City of New York.

Miriam Balgos, Ph.D.

Miriam Balgos is executive director of the Global Ocean Forum and concurrent project manager-capacity development specialist of a GEF-funded project on Building and Enhancing Sectoral and Cross-Sectoral Capacity to Support Sustainable Resource Use and Biodiversity Conservation in Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. Formerly associate scientist at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware and the program coordinator of the Global Ocean Forum, Balgos led the Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy team in the organization and conduct of multi-stakeholder dialogues in integrated ocean and coastal management. Her research focused on integrated ocean and coastal management, marine protected areas, marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, and climate change adaptation. She co-authored and contributed to various publications including “A Comparative Analysis of Ocean Po