The East Asian Seas (EAS) Executive Committee convened its 33rd Meeting on 28 April 2025 in Busan, Republic of Korea. The meeting gathered key leaders of the EAS Partnership Council, including Chair Dr. Vann Monyneath, Co-Chair Atty. Jonas Leones, Intergovernmental Session Co-Chair Mr. Le Dai Thang, Technical Session Chair Dr. Keita Furukawa, and Technical Session Co-Chair Dr. Suk-Jae Kwon. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) Secretariat, led by Executive Director Ms. Aimee T. Gonzales, provided secretariat support, alongside other PRF staff. Observers included representatives from the Arafura Timor Seas program, Korea Maritime Institute, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, and the China PEMSEA Center, with additional PRF personnel joining online.

The meeting agenda featured key updates and strategic discussions on the outcomes and next steps following the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, the alignment of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) with 2030 targets, and PRF’s accomplishments in 2024 and work plan for 2025. Other agenda items included preparations for the 17th EAS Partnership Council Meeting, the engagement of Non-Country Partners, progress on the Blue Carbon Program, presentation of the 2024 audited financial report, and governance matters such as the election of new officers and the selection process for the next PRF Executive Director.

The planning workshop for the 2025 Marine Environment Protector (MEP) Program was conducted on 18-19 March 2025 at Parañaque, Philippines and brought together representatives from MEP partner organizations across six Philippine sites.

Representatives from the four existing MEP program sites presented their 2024 accomplishments and shared lessons learned from implementation. The workshop also served as an introduction for new MEP partners from Bulan and Calbayog who will begin implementation in 2025.

The participants discussed various campaigns and identified effective practices that could be applied across different sites. Together, they drafted comprehensive work plans and timelines aligned with the 2025 implementation guidelines established by the Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU).

The two-day workshop successfully established target outputs for 2025 implementation and developed strategies to effectively impact local communities in their respective sites. Participants focused on ensuring engagement and full support of their respective local government units for proposed marine plastic waste management initiatives.

The First Blue Carbon Technical Working Group meeting was held on February 25, 2025, online via video conference (Zoom). The meeting was chaired by the Technical Session Chair and Co-Chair of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council (PC) and participated by PEMSEA country partner designated representatives from China and the Philippines; non-country partner representatives from the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service (NMHMS), Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF), Conservation International (CI), Korean Maritime Institute (KMI); PNLC members, Xiamen University, University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI); and other collaborators, such as the China Green Carbon Foundation and OceanPixel.

The 2024 Forum of the PNLG with the theme, “Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean” was hosted by PNLG and PEMSEA and co-organized by the PNLG Secretariat and Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University. The forum was conducted on 6-8 November 2024 in Xiamen. 

About one hundred participants from: 

1. 21 PNLG member local governments;
2. 5 PNLG Associate members;
3. PNLC members;
4. resource speakers and other invited experts,
5. the PNLG Secretariat,
6. the PNLC Secretariat, and
7. the PRF attended the forum.

They are from eight countries, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, RO Korea, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and ESCAP Subregional Office for
East and North-East Asia jointly organized a session titled “Harmonizing Oceans: Transboundary Strategies for Climate Resilience in North-East Asia”. This session highlighted the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) under the Coastal and Marine Spatial
Planning (CSMP) regime in North-East Asia and beyond in fostering regional resilience against climate impacts and promoting ecosystem conservation.

Key topics included:

• Understanding Climate Change Impacts: Examining how climate change affects marine ecosystems in this region.
• Applying CMSP Strategies: Sharing successful CMSP strategies and their role in climate-related conservation efforts (e.g., blue carbon, community-led habitat restoration).
• Enhancing Transboundary Cooperation: Discussing how multi-stakeholder engagement can strengthen regional conservation initiatives.

Additionally, the session underscored capacity building and knowledge exchange, providing a platform for member States and relevant stakeholders to share best practices and enhance skills for managing MPAs and addressing regional marine environmental challenges.
 

The session "Area-based Marine Ecosystem Management for the implementation of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework", held on November 7, 2024, in Xiamen, China, highlighted innovative strategies to advance marine biodiversity conservation across the East Asian Seas. By addressing the Kunming-Montreal targets, including the ambitious 30x30 objective, the session aligned seamlessly with the EAS Congress theme, "Connecting People and Ocean for Resilient and Sustainable Seas."

The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and key stakeholders to foster collaboration, exchange expertise, and explore actionable pathways toward resilient and thriving marine ecosystems. With its focus on regional implementation linked to global biodiversity and ocean sustainability goals, the session contributed meaningfully to SDG 14, reaffirming a shared commitment to safeguarding marine resources for future generations.

The Marine Spatial Planning Utilizing a Big Data-driven Policy Simulator session addresses the increasing conflicts and overlaps in marine spatial utilization due to intensified activities. It aims to promote integrated marine space management that ensures sustainable and eco-friendly development. Experts from Korea, Japan, China, and Indonesia will share their knowledge on marine spatial management and discuss strategies for international cooperation. The session focuses on leveraging digital twin technology to simulate policy effects, contributing to the development of intelligent marine spatial policy tools for predicting activities and diagnosing policy impacts across the Asian region.

The Regional Workshop served as a collaborative platform for engaging key stakeholders in advancing Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) strategies across six ASEAN countries namely, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam. This workshop facilitated in-depth discussions on stakeholder dynamics, concerns, and engagement strategies tailored to the unique contexts of each country and their respective river basins. Key objectives included enhancing stakeholder participation in IRBM, and
identifying actionable strategies to improve stakeholder engagement in water resource management.

The conduct of baseline assessment of the Source-to-Sea (S2S) management continuum with a targeted outcome of improving understanding of governance, socioeconomic, ecological conditions, gaps and needs of priority river basins/sub-basins and associated
coastal areas through the State of River Basin (SORB) reporting system is one of the major outcomes of the implementation of the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN Project on Reducing Pollution and Preserving Environmental Flows in the East Asian Seas through the Implementation of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) in the ASEAN Countries. The SORB reporting system aims to:

a) Establish baseline conditions in a river basin/associated coastal area prior to the startup of the IRBM program, including changes that are climate related;

b) Assess progress, achievements and shortcomings of ongoing IRBM programs by determining changing conditions with respect to governance and social and economic conditions, including gender gaps as well as trends and/or emerging environmental issues; and

c) Develop recommendations for continual improvement of IRBM programs including recommendations on ensuring gender responsiveness and incorporating gender equality, where appropriate for consideration by national and local governments and other relevant stakeholders in each river basin/coastal area.