o assess the effectiveness and future role of programs to 

 educate the public and promote awareness of the problem; 



o evaluate international, intergovernmental, domestic, and 

 informally constituted regional authorities that might 

 be usefully drawn upon to strengthen cooperative efforts 

 to address regional issues; 



o describe programs necessary to assess the effectiveness 

 of measures presently being taken to address various 

 elements of the problem; and 



o prepare a report summarizing results of the Conference 

 and steps that should be taken to address different 

 aspects of the problem. 



At the end of 1988, plans for the Conference were well 

 developed, and abstracts for papers had been submitted by 

 individuals from more than twelve countries. The Second 

 International Conference on Marine Debris promises to mark 

 another major step in the evolution of global efforts to 

 address the problem. 



26th Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee 



The Marine Environment Protection Committee of the 

 International Maritime Organization is the international body 

 responsible for overseeing efforts to regulate, in accordance 

 with MARPOL Annex V, the disposal of garbage from ships. 

 Discharge limitations of Annex V are summarized on the following 

 page. At the request of the State Department, the U.S. Coast 

 Guard heads U.S. delegations to periodic Committee meetings, 

 which are held at the International Maritime Organization's 

 headquarters in London, England. 



As noted in previous Annual Reports, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission, in consultation with the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration, drafted a paper that was submitted 

 by the Coast Guard to the 24th Session of the Committee on 

 16-20 February 1987. That paper described problems associated 

 with the disposal of ship-generated garbage and actions that 

 might be taken to address those problems. Among other things, 

 the paper recommended that the Committee develop guidelines 

 to assist contracting governments and others in developing 

 programs to implement provisions of Annex V. 



The paper drafted by the Commission and presented by the 

 Coast Guard was well received by the Committee, and there was 

 agreement to proceed with efforts to develop the recommended 

 guidelines. To assist in doing so, the U.S. delegation, 

 which included a representative of the Marine Mammal Commission, 

 volunteered to prepare a draft set of guidelines for 



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