Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the March 2024 e-Bulletin!

Registration is open for interested participants to the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event is being held in collaboration with the Xiamen World Ocean Week (XWOW) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government.

We share a story about one of the areas covered by our IRBM project, the Nam Tha River Basin in Lao PDR, a tributary of the Mekong River. In the lead up to the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, the PEMSEA Executive Committee convened to agree on actions and recommendations for the partnerships to address in the coming months, and we look forward to the first event next month, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024 Youth Forum.

Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the February 2024 e-Bulletin!

Registration is now open for the triennial summit for the seas of East Asia, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event is being held in collaboration with the Xiamen World Ocean Week (XWOW) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government..

The start of the year has seen progress in PEMSEA’s projects throughout the region. The Timor-Leste National Project Board for marine plastic pollution has had its inaugural meeting. PEMSEA also met with officials in Singapore to discuss ongoing collaboration, and we share progress from our partners, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Cambodia and Preah Sihanouk province, in the sustainable development of the Prek Kampong Smach waterway.

PEMSEA is closely following the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) taking place at this time, as well as developments in external research, such as improved knowledge about the trapping of microplastics in coastal vegetation, the launch of a new satellite that will improve climate modeling, and the slated construction of a new pilot carbon capture plant in Singapore.

Welcoming in a new year for the oceans

Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the first PEMSEA e-Bulletin in 2024!

As we embark on a new year of collaborative endeavors in sustainable coastal and ocean management, we will continue to provide relevant and critical updates regarding progress towards a more sustainable future within the seas of East Asia.  

Here's to another year of progress, strengthened partnerships, and meaningful impact.

This year sees the convening of our triennial summit for the seas of East Asia, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024. We are busy undertaking preparations for this event, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China. An early event, the EAS 2024 Youth Forum, will take place in Uljin City, RO Korea, this April.

The new year also brings a revamped appearance for www.pemsea.org, which has been redesigned to better share information about ongoing work in the region. This newsletter also includes further details of our work in Kampong Bay, and our attendance to the 10th International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology.

Outside of PEMSEA, the imperative for concerted action on climate change has become more pressing as 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest year on record. Environmental multilateralism will be similarly indispensable for other global challenges, such as marine plastic pollution. Global aspirations for an international treaty on plastic pollution will be deliberated upon at UNEA-6.

2023 marks the beginning of a breakthrough collaboration among six ASEAN member states (AMS) and development partners in Southeast Asia for the protection and management of select priority river basins that drain into four large marine ecosystems in the Southeast Asian Region, the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand and Indonesian Sea. This year, the Integrated River Basin Management Project saw the project inception and establishment of the governance mechanism at the regional level, including the establishment of the Regional Project Management Unit at PRF and the approval and adoption of the 2023 workplan and budget. The six AMS proceeded in securing approval of the project in line with their respective government policies and procedures and initiated consultations at national and river basin levels to discuss the project’s implementing arrangements. Regional activities were also initiated including the development of State of River Basin Reporting Guidelines, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis, capacity development activities, and knowledge management and communication outreach.

As the 2023 calendar year comes to an end, I would like to thank PEMSEA partners - both country and non-country, the networks of local governments and learning centers, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility staff for their continued hard work and commitment to the East Asian Seas Partnership.

2023 was an eventful year with the first year of fulfilling our shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia 2023-2027. This year also marked the commemoration of PEMSEA's 30th year, with the ICM lecture series and the launch of several major projects and collaborations.

Acting purposefully for the future and serving the Partnerships in what really matters - fostering healthy and resilient coasts, ocean, people and economies, the PEMSEA Resource Facility is fully committed to play its part in creating a fairer and more prosperous world for all. where sustainability and equity are the core of everything we do. Collectively, we can make the right decisions and transformations to pave the way for what's next.

As we anticipate more exciting lineups of collaborative actions and knowledge sharing in the East Asian Seas Congress in collaboration with Xiamen World Ocean Week 2024 in Xiamen, China on 6-8 November 2024, let us take you back to our milestones this year - all made possible through our fruitful collaboration in the region.

It has been a busy November for the East Asian Seas region! From the 6th GEO Blue Planet Symposium to Xiamen World Ocean Week to Amamo 2023, our partners are in full gear to finish the year with more impactful events at the regional and global scale. We are also excited to share that the East Asian Seas Congress 2024 Youth Forum is opening its application among young leaders for a regional learning exchange in Korea National Ocean Science Museum. Deadline of application will be on 07 January 2024.

PEMSEA projects are rolling as we organized capacity building activities in Cambodia for the Integrated River Basin Management Project, and the continuation of the stakeholder consultation in Timor-Leste for the Marine Plastics Project.

PEMSEA networks are also in action as both PNLC and PNLG hosted their general assembly and annual forum alongside regional and international events.

From beyond the EAS region, with the conclusion of the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) and the opening of COP28 today, eyes are on the world leaders to accelerate and deliver concrete actions on their commitments to multilateral environmental agreements. 

We are glad to announce the dates for the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, which will be hosted by the People’s Republic of China. The search for #HumansofEAS continues as we aim to recognize local ocean leaders and champions from all over the region.

PEMSEA’s #MarinePlastics Project kicked off the plastic analysis and characterization study in our Philippine sites, and held a series of stakeholder consultations to engage more partners in #citizenscience such as plastics monitoring and awareness campaigns. The #ATSEA2 Programme showcased how using customary law and practices can strengthen conservation stewardship in Timor-Leste.

In our news roundup, we have lined-up more stories on local actions and global leaders promoting solutions to proactively address climate change, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss.

This month, we scored several  milestones for the Partnerships in East Asian Seas as countries adopted the regional strategy on biofouling management. The Arafura and Timor Seas Action Programme (ATSEA) showcased several of its technical reports when it  co-hosted  the 4th International Conference on Integrated Coastal Management and Marine Biotechnology; PEMSEA Executive Director led the second series of ICM lecture in the same event, while the Marine Plastics Project convened local partners  from the Philippines and Timor-Leste for the regional marine litter training.

More positive news in the region as more East Asian Seas countries are addressing transboundary challenges such as plastic pollution. At the global level, the High Seas Treaty was finally signed by 81 nations, and the world is now watching the #RaceForRatification. 

This month’s bulletin highlights #PEMSEAat30 lecture series led by PEMSEA Chair Emeritus Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, the training on Plastic Analysis and Characterization Study done with LGU partners of the Marine Plastics Project, and the virtual participation of PEMSEA in the recently concluded World Water Week 2023 by highlighting its partnership with UNDP, Global Environment Facility, and ASEAN in implementing the Integrated River Basin Management Project in Southeast Asia.

PEMSEA is also in the news! Checkout our media release on the support of the Republic of Korea to tackle marine plastic pollution in the Philippines and Timor-Leste. And under news roundup, collaboration to halt biodiversity loss and positive discoveries continue to inspire action across the region and globally.