Manila, Philippines — The East Asian Seas extend from PR China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan in the north to Indonesia and Timor Leste in the south. Its shores are home to approximately 2 billion people and its waters sustain 30% of the world's coral reefs and 40% of the global fish catch. Sustaining marine and coastal life in the face of rapid development and the threat of climate change has become one of the development priorities for East Asian Countries.

 

Manila, Philippines — MFF convened a workshop on Government and Civil Society Collaboration on Integrated Coastal Management in the Indian Ocean Region workshop, Thursday 25 November, 2009 to present the findings of a Regional Assessment of regional institutions and programmes in the Indian Ocean (2007-2008 updated 2009) and discussed its principal recommendations and proposed concrete actions to enhance cooperation and coordination among governments, between governments and civil society, and between regional organizations in support of governments and civil society collaboration.

Manila, Philippines — Top-rating Philippine AM radio station DZMM will feature the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) on Sunday, 07 February 2010, 4:30 P.M. at DZMM Teleradyo.The show "Bago 'Yan Ah!" is hosted by Mr. Nelson Lubao and Ms. Ruby Cristobal.ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) executive director Rodrigo U. Fuentes will provide an overview of the International Year of Biodiversity - a global celebration with the theme "Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life." He will also discuss the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss.Ms. Angelita P.

Manila, Philippines — The ASEAN Foundation and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) formalized its partnership by signing an agreement during the Special EAS Partnership Council Meeting to support the participation of ASEAN youth at the 2009 East Asian Seas Congress in Manila, Philippines.

Manila, Philippines — The ASEAN Ports Association (APA) and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) are jointly implementing the "Sustainable Port Development in the ASEAN Region" project, designed to help a selected number of ports comply with international environment and safety standards while improving their efficiency.The three-year project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development. Nine ports in five countries have been selected to actively participate in the project.

Guimaras Province, Philippines — A three-day consolidation and validation of data and information gathered for the State of the Coasts (SOC) indicators was conducted on 18-20 January 2010 as part of the ongoing activities of the Province to develop its SOC Baseline. The SOC Baseline aimed to set the baseline environmental and socioeconomic conditions of the island Province, upon which changes over time can be compared. It also aimed to document existing management interventions being undertaken in the area to address the environmental issues.

Tagaytay City, Philippines — Thirty-three participants from the central office and various regional offices of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) around Manila Bay, the provincial governments of Batangas, Bataan and Cavite and De La Salle University in Lipa, Batangas completed a training workshop on the Integrated Information Management System for Coastal and Marine Environment (IIMS) conducted from 23-26 February by DENR and PEMSEA.The training workshop trained regional and provincial staff newly-designated for IIMS and updated staff previously trained in

RO Korea — In March 2010, NOWPAP organized an International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) activity and a Workshop on Marine Litter Management. The 14th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting also decided to develop a project on assessment of the current status of marine and coastal biodiversity in the NOWPAP region.NOWPAP Marine Litter Workshop and ICC in HiradoWith the kind support of the Japanese government, the NOWPAP International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) and Workshop on Marine Litter Management were successfully organized on 26-28 March 2010 in Hirado, Nagasaki, Japan.

Quezon City, Philippines — Mr. Choe Rim of the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea has joined PEMSEA for a six-month period as part of PEMSEA's Professional Upgrading Program for 2010.Mr. Choe Rim is the Division Director of the General Bureau for Cooperation with International Organizations (GBCIO), Ministry of Foreign Trade, DPRK. He is in charge of implementation of projects in trade, electricity, coal production and tourism sectors.

Beijing, PR China — The 6th Meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council was held on 12-13 March in Beijing, PR China.