East Asian Seas Partnership Council 6th meeting

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. The Meeting was hosted by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of PR China.The EC delved into several policy issues relating to PEMSEA's future direction including: the transition of PEMSEA into an international organization; the development of a five-year implementation plan for SDS-SEA; and the re-engineering of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF), among others.In light of PEMSEA attaining its legal personality in November 2009, the EC stressed the importance of defining the identity of PEMSEA as an international organization focused on coastal and ocean management in the Seas of East Asia, and setting the future direction of PEMSEA. The meeting recommended to table this important agenda for discussion and consultation among Partners at the 3rd EAS Partnership Council Meeting which is scheduled on 26-30 July 2010 in PR China.The Executive Committee is composed of the Council, Technical Session, and Intergovernmental Session Chairs with the Executive Director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) serving as the Secretary. The three Chairs were elected by consensus at the First EAS Partnership Council Meeting. Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, former Regional Programme Director of PEMSEA, is the Council Chair, Dr. Li Haiqing of PR China is the Intergovernmental Session Chair, and Mr. Hiroshi Terashima of Japan is the Technical Session Chair.