"Let This Forum Not Be Remembered for the Words We Spoke, but for the Actions We Inspire": PNLG President's Closing Message Calls for Action Beyond Busan, Republic of Korea

 

^{The delegates of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) during the 2026 PNLG General Assembly in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea on 9 September 2026.}

 

As the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) reflects on the outcomes of its 2026 General Assembly held in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea last 8–10 September, the closing message delivered by the PNLG President and Governor of Guimaras, Philippines, Dr. Lucille Nava, continues to resonate with member local governments and academic and research partners across the East Asian Seas region, offering a challenge that will shape the network's work well beyond the Assembly itself.

 

Opening her remarks with an image drawn from the sea, the President reminded delegates that no wave travels alone, that every wave is part of a greater movement, and so too does the strength of the PNLG lie not in what any one local government can do alone, but in what the network can accomplish together.

 

Reflecting on a General Assembly that brought together local governments from different cities, provinces, countries, and cultures, she noted that despite differing circumstances and capacities, members remain united by one shared responsibility: to protect the blue spaces that sustain their people and their future; a responsibility made even more resonant with the Assembly's admission of Atauro Island, Timor Leste as the newest member of the PNLG family, and the signing of the Busan Declaration.

 

But it was in framing what the Assembly truly achieved that the President's message struck its clearest note. The greatest outcome, she said, was not the resolutions adopted or the ideas exchanged — it was the commitment that delegates now carry home. As PNLG members return to their respective local governments, she left them with a call to action now being echoed across the network:

 

"Let this forum not be remembered for the words we spoke, but for the actions we inspire. Not for the days we spent together, but for the future we choose to build together."

 

The message came at a critical turning point when the network is growing not only in membership but in relevance and shared purpose as manifested in the Busan Declaration on Promoting Local Coastal Resilience and Sustainable Blue Economy. It also sets the tone for the road ahead, as members carry the commitments made in Busan into local action — action that will carry particular weight as Busan itself prepares to host the world's next major ocean summit, the 4th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028. In the meantime, the PNLG looks forward to reconvening at the next PNLG Annual Forum in Tangerang, Indonesia in 2027.

 

For media inquiries, please contact the PNLG Secretariat / PEMSEA Resource Facility.
 

 

President of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG), Dr. Lucille Nava, presides over the 2026 PNLG General Assembly in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea on 9 September 2026.

 

President of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG), Dr. Lucille Nava presents the Plaque of Appreciation to Mr. Oh Seok-Geun, Deputy Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea in recognition of Busan's hosting of the 2026 PNLG Annual Forum from 8-10 September 2026.

 

President of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG), Dr. Lucille Nava, presides over the 2026 PNLG General Assembly on 9 September 2026 in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea. Seated to her right are Mr. Oh Seok-Geun, Deputy Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea (near right) and Mr. Lin Huaiyuan, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the PNLG Secretariat (far right).

 

President of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG), Dr. Lucille Nava, presides over the 2026 PNLG General Assembly on 9 September 2026 in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea.

 

Dr. FANG Qinhua, Deputy Secretary-General of the PNLG Secretariat, presents the PNLG Work Progress 2026 and Work Plan 2027 during the 2026 PNLG General Assembly on 9 September 2026 in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea.

 

Ms. Nancy Bermas, PEMSEA Resource Facility Regional Project Manager presents the Status of Implementation of PNLG Strategic Action Plan during the 2026 PNLG General Assembly on 9 September 2026 in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea.

 

President of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG), Dr. Lucille Nava, presides over the 2026 PNLG General Assembly on 9 September 2026 in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea. Seated to her left are Ms. Aimee T. Gonzales, PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) Executive Director (far left), and Ms. April Tigulo, PRF Secretariat Coordinator (near left).