World Bank SEA-MaP - Southeast Asia Regional Program on Combating Marine Plastics

Expired UN / Multilateral · Found: 2026-03-11 10:59

$20 million IDA grant supporting ASEAN Regional Action Plan to reduce plastic consumption, enhance recycling, and minimize leakage across ASEAN Member States.

Source: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/eastasiapacific/beyond-borders-collaborative-solutions-plastic-pollution-southeast-asia

Funding Details

Funder

World Bank / International Development Association (IDA) via PROBLUE

Funding Goal

Reduce plastic consumption, enhance recycling, and minimize leakage of plastic waste to land and marine environments across ASEAN Member States, supporting the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (2021-2025).

Funding Amount

$20 million IDA grant (plus a separate $60 million IDA + $3 million PROBLUE project for Cambodia) (20.000.000 € – 20.000.000 €)

Deadline

2025-12-31 (Fixed)

How to Apply

This is not an open-call grant program. The SEA-MaP program is a World Bank-administered multilateral initiative directed at ASEAN as an institution and its ten member state governments. There is no public application process for NGOs or private organizations. Indirect engagement may be possible through national government channels or as implementation partners for specific country-level sub-projects.

Target Region

Southeast Asia (ASEAN Member States)

Contact

World Bank East Asia & Pacific team. Blog contact: voicesen@worldbank.org. Program page: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/06/22/world-bank-approves-us-20-million-regional-grant-for-asean-to-combat-marine-plastic-pollution-in-southeast-asia

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:45

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Eligibility is limited to ASEAN Member State governments and ASEAN as an institution — not open to NGOs or private organizations as primary recipients
• Program covers Southeast Asian countries only (Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, etc.)

Project Scope

• Projects must align with the 14 priority actions of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (2021-2025)
• Activities must fall within policy support, capacity building, innovation, outreach, or private sector engagement for plastic pollution reduction

Required Documents

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) platform participation requires demonstrated regional relevance and prior EPR experience
• Country-level sub-projects (e.g. Cambodia solid waste) require national government sponsorship and separate World Bank project approval

Constraints

• Private sector and civil society may engage as implementation partners through government channels, not as direct grant applicants
• Program timeline aligned with RAP 2021-2025; funding already approved and being disbursed — no new open call expected

Summary

The Southeast Asia Regional Program on Combating Marine Plastics (SEA-MaP) is a $20 million grant from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), supporting ten of fourteen priority actions identified in ASEAN's Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (RAP, 2021-2025). The program addresses Southeast Asia's status as a global hotspot for plastic pollution, where over half of waste goes uncollected and less than a quarter is recycled. SEA-MaP covers policy support, innovation, capacity building, outreach, and private sector engagement across the ten ASEAN Member States. The program operates at the regional and government level, leveraging the World Bank's convening power to deliver activities that strengthen national policies, support private sector innovation (such as packaging reuse/refill models and waste segregation technologies), and establish a regional platform for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) knowledge exchange. It also facilitates country-level investments — for example, a $60 million follow-on project for Cambodia on solid waste and plastics management. SEA-MaP is designed to contribute to global plastics treaty negotiations (underway until 2024) and ensure ASEAN's unique needs are reflected in international frameworks. The Waves of Change advisory program, funded through PROBLUE, Denmark, Korea, Climate Investment Funds, and South-South Facility, provides parallel knowledge and research support including country-specific market studies for plastics circularity. This is a government-to-government and multilateral initiative. Funding flows through the World Bank to ASEAN and its member state governments, not directly to NGOs or civil society organizations. Private sector and NGO involvement is anticipated as implementation partners, but not as primary grant recipients.

Historical Context

ASEAN launched the Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (RAP) in 2021, with World Bank design support via PROBLUE. SEA-MaP was approved in June 2022 as a $20 million IDA grant to implement RAP priorities. Country-specific plastic circularity market studies were conducted for Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in 2021-2023. The Cambodia Solid Waste and Plastic Management Improvement Project ($60M IDA + $3M PROBLUE) was approved in May 2023 as a direct follow-on investment.

Why it was added

SE Asia plastic waste/circular economy funding

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