A/RES/70/235 Oceans and the law of the sea 190. Acknowledges the request by the United Nations Environment Assembly in its resolution 1/6 to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to undertake a study on marine plastic debris and marine microplastics, and to present the study for the consideration of that Assembly at its second session, in May 2016, recalls the invitation to Statesto share relevant information with the Executive Director pertinent to this study, and notes that the Informal Consultative Process will focus its discussions at its seventeenth meeting on the theme “Marine debris, plastics and microplastics”; 191. Welcomes the activities of relevant United Nations bodies and organizations, in particular the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization and other intergovernmental organizations, to address the sources and impacts of marine debris, including through the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, as well as actions relating to marine debris taken under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, 83 in particular the adoption by the Conference of the Parties to that Convention at its eleventh meeting of resolution 11.30 on management of marine debris, and notes the recent work of the International Whaling Commission on assessing the impacts of marine debris on cetaceans; 192. Encourages States to further develop partnerships with industry and civil society to raise awareness of the extent of the impact of marine de bris on the biological diversity, health and productivity of the marine environment and consequent economic loss, and encourages States to cooperate, as appropriate, to address marine debris and microplastics in the marine environment; 193. Urges States to integrate the issue of marine debris into national and, as appropriate, regional strategies dealing with waste management, especially in the coastal zone, ports and maritime industries, including recycling, reuse, reduction and disposal, to consider developing an integrated waste management infrastructure and to encourage the development of appropriate economic incentives with the aim of reducing marine debris to address this issue, including the development of cost recovery systems that provide an incentive to use port reception facilities and discourage ships from discharging marine debris at sea, and support for measures to prevent, reduce and control pollution from any source, including land -based sources, such as community-based coastal and waterway clean-up and monitoring activities, and encourages States to cooperate regionally and subregionally to identify potential sources and coastal and oceanic locations where marine debris aggregates and to develop and implement joint prevention and recovery pro grammes for marine debris as well as to raise awareness of the issue of marine debris and the need to consider environmentally sound options for its removal; 194. Notes the work of the International Maritime Organization to prevent pollution from ships; 195. Encourages States that have not yet done so to become parties to the Protocol of 1997 (annex VI – Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended; 84 _______________ 83 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1651, No. 28395. International Maritime Organization, document MEPC.203(62). 84 34/53 MEPC 62/24/Add.1, annex 19, resolution

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