Background and Rationale
Microplastic pollution has emerged as a significant global environmental challenge, threatening aquatic ecosystems, public health, and sustainable economic development. Originating from industrial discharges, plastic waste degradation, and synthetic fibers, these microparticles have dispersed through the atmosphere and soils, infiltrated freshwater and marine environments, and accumulated drinking water sources, food chains, and ecosystems. Recent studies have indicated that microplastics may exert adverse toxicological effects on human health, including potential impacts on the digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems, thereby heightening concerns regarding long-term exposure and associated risks.
Despite growing global and regional efforts to address microplastic pollution, significant research gaps remain. These include the lack of harmonized monitoring and assessment methodologies, limited availability of advanced and affordable techniques for microplastic detection and characterization, insufficient understanding of their environmental fate and transport, unclear ecosystem and human health impacts, and the absence of cost-effective mitigation and control strategies. These challenges are particularly pronounced in developing countries in the Global South, where rapid urbanization, inadequate waste management infrastructure, and limited scientific and technical capacity exacerbate microplastic pollution and constrain effective policy responses. In this context, the APN-funded project “Enhancing the Science–Policy Interface to Manage Microplastic Influx from Major Cities into the Oceans in Southeast Asia” seeks to strengthen the scientific basis and policy relevance of microplastic research by systematically improving understanding of the sources, fate, and risks of urban-origin microplastics in the region.
To advance regional and international collaboration, strengthen the science–policy interface, and support inclusive capacity building, this virtual workshop, jointly organized by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT), and Universitas Pertamina (UP), serves as a timely platform for scientific dialogue and cooperation on microplastic research.
The specific objectives of the workshop are to:
- facilitate scientific knowledge exchange on recent advances in microplastic research among participants in Southeast Asia and beyond;
- identify key research gaps, methodological challenges, and future research needs related to microplastic pollution; and
- strengthen academic networking and foster future collaborative research opportunities at the regional and international levels
Event Date: April 7, 2026
Venue: Zoom ID: 934 5683 5799 | Passcode: 841803
PARTICIPANTS:
- Participants from worldwide are welcome to attend and actively participate in the workshop. Online participation is available free of charge, with no registration fee required.
- The workshop is open to researchers, academics, professionals from research and technology organizations engaged in microplastic-related research.
Participants must make a registration online by this link https://forms.gle/vyGs23JkBwSPW7CS7
