The marine pollution of the South Asian sub-zone of the Indian ocean is becoming a concern. Recently reported that dead zone formations in some areas of the Indian ocean. This may lead to serious environmental, economic, and social issues in the future. Sri Lanka, a member of South Asian countries, the potential impacts due to marine plastic pollution could affect the marine and coastal biodiversity, fishing, and tourism industries, etc. The country itself is a leading contributor to marine litter with generating more than 1.5 million plastic waste each year. Besides, the recent Ship disaster, the X-press pearl Shipwreck raised concern about marine pollution in the region.

In 2021 August, Sri Lanka launched the National Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management (NAPPWM). In line with that, there are several ongoing actions for the mitigation of plastic litter. This special session focus on the NAPPWM in the context of Marine litter, some ongoing marine plastic litter assessment, mitigation works in Sri Lanka, and the need for regional coordination to prevent plastic litter-related pollution in the Indian ocean.