Help for the Oceans

NREM alumna Flavia da Silva, project management specialist for USAID/Timor-Leste, recently led an Ocean Talk at the Our Oceans Conference 2018 (OOC2018) along with Timor-Leste Secretary of State for the Environment Demitrio do Amaral de Carvalho. Timor-Leste has resolved to ban single-use plastic products and recycle all plastic waste by 2030. Flavia (right), who was an advisee of Catherine Chan, explained, “Our Oceans Conference was an excellent opportunity for USAID/Timor-Leste to highlight its work on the protection of Timor-Leste’s marine biodiversity and for the government of Timor-Leste to discuss its recently introduced zero plastics policy.” Co-leading the discussion was Trudiann Dale, country director for Conservation International in Timor-Leste, which is helping to implement the policy.