PEMSEA Celebrates Successful Conclusion of the GloFouling Partnerships Project

 

PEMSEA congratulates its partners and collaborators on the successful conclusion of the GEF/UNDP/IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project at the 3rd Global Project Task Force Meeting and the Women in Maritime workshop held in Indonesia on 10-13 March 2025.

The global project was designed to:

• Assess relevant national and regional policies, legislation, and institutions to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and conflicts to minimize the risk of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) transferred through biofouling.
• Develop capacity for the implementation of the 2011 IMO Biofouling Guidelines through national capacity building, training, and technical support
• Bring active private sector participation to ensure the development of innovative technological and other solutions and financial sustainability for the control and management of biofouling and for the effective involvement of the relevant stakeholders.
• Manage knowledge and develop an institutional and procedural approach for monitoring and evaluation of biofouling management and control measures.

As regional cooperation organization in the East Asian Seas (EAS), PEMSEA Resource Facility coordinated the preparatory activities that led the approval of the Regional Strategy And Action Plan on Biofouling Management by both the 15th EAS Partnership Council and the ASEAN Transport Ministers in November 2024.
 

Guided by UN SDG 14, global biodiversity and climate change targets, the regional strategy and action plan serves as a framework for regional cooperation on preventing the spread of invasive aquatic species and managing biofouling. The strategy covers five strategic objectives:
 

• Support establishment of national biofouling governance in the EAS region
• Promote research and development (R&D) and technology exchange in the EAS Region
• Build capacity and awareness on biofouling management in the EAS region
• Secure sustainable financing mechanism within national and region levels
• Enhance cooperation among stakeholders

 

Implementation and Future Commitments
 

The action plan clearly defines the roles, responsibilities, and timelines for stakeholders at both regional and national levels. Moving forward, PEMSEA will monitor progress and provide regular updates on the strategy’s implementation to the EAS Partnership Council and the ASEAN Working Group on Maritime Transport.
 

A Five-Year Collaborative Achievement

The approved strategy is the culmination of five years of regional cooperation, with the following outputs:

• Baseline assessments in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines to evaluate biofouling’s economic and environmental impacts.
• National strategy development for Indonesia and the Philippines.
• Regional workshops (since 2019) to raise awareness and build capacity.
• Establishment of a Regional Task Force, engaging:

1. Government agencies (maritime transport, ports, coast guards, biodiversity, fisheries, aquaculture).
2. Research institutes, private sector (shipping, tourism, fishing industries), and NGOs.

• Development and refinement of the Regional Strategy and Action Plan.
• Endorsement by the EAS Partnership Council and adoption as the ASEAN Regional Biofouling Management Strategy (approved by ASEAN Transport Ministers in November 2024).
   

A Message from PEMSEA

PEMSEA Resource Facility is proud to be part of the GloFouling initiative. We deeply appreciate the support of ASEAN member states, EAS partners, GEF, UNDP, and IMO, and non-country partner KIOST which enabled us to facilitate technical and policy discussions, strengthen regional capacity, advance global efforts to mitigate biofouling risks, safeguard marine ecosystems, and enhance energy efficiency.
 

We look forward to a Phase 2 where we can provide further technical assistance to developing country partners and help them prepare for discussions of a legally binding treaty on biofouling management in the IMO.
 

Learn more about GEF/UNDP/IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project here.