BANGKOK DECLARATION AND AWARENESS OF ASEAN MEMBER COUNTRIES: THE REGIONAL LAW OF CLEANING OUR OCEANS

This paper aims to build awareness for ASEAN member countries in combating marine debris,
and the challenges of the Bangkok Declaration so that it can become a regional law for countries in the ASEAN
region. In this study, the authors used the qualitative research method. The approach used is observation and
interpretation. This paper provides information on the latest trend in research. The results showed that the
Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Region and ASEAN Framework of Action
on Marine Debris is a form of awareness of ASEAN member countries in combating marine debris. Not only
that, every country leader has agreed to take a national strategic policy in implementing these two regional
documents in order to be effective and have value in improving the marine environment. Both of these
instruments have become regional laws that are soft law because they have created general legal norms that will
be used by the international community as key principles in the future to resolve international environmental
issues, moreover, both of these declarations are in accordance with the Principles of Due Diligence and Harm
Prevention and the Principles of Transboundary Co-operation in Cases of Environmental Risk within the
framework of international environmental law, so the challenge is ASEAN member countries’ compliance with
the regional legal agreement.