Our side event showcases how leadership and policy at the international level can be implemented locally in tangible solutions-oriented projects, making a real difference for our ocean. It spotlights the role of government and private corporations in facilitating the prevention, mitigation, and remediation of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) and help deliver on SDGs, UNEA 5.2, the ocean-climate agenda, and OOC pillars. The event emphasizes how collaborative cross-sectoral and international partnerships put our ocean at the heart of the sustainable development agenda. One example worth highlighting is the recently established North American Net Collection Initiative (NANCI), GGGI’s first transboundary initiative to prevent ALDFG in the coastal waters of the western U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Projects such as this that involve fisher surveys, predictive modelling, removal efforts, innovative gear recycling methods, and working in partnership with the fishing industry represent the very make-up of the GGGI solution project blueprint.
