The 2026 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) and PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC) Joint Learning Forum

The 2026 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) and PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC) Joint Learning Forum, themed “Empowering Coastal Cities for a Blue Future,” was organized by the PNLG and PNLC in collaboration with the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Coastal 500, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The Forum was hosted by the Metropolitan City of Busan, Republic of Korea. The Joint Learning Forum took place on 8 September 2026 at Paradise Hotel Busan as part of the 2026 PNLG Annual Forum (8-10 September 2026). It featured two panel discussions: Local Pathways for Blue Carbon and Nature-Based Solutions, and Capitalizing on Coasts: Financing and Innovating Local Blue Economies.

The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 9 September 2026 in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director, and the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:

• Workplanning for 2026-2027
• Updates on PNLC Expenditure and Financial Sustainability

Other Business:

• PRF Project Updates
• 2027 EAS Congress
• ICM Report
• Nature-based Solutions Capacity-building
• PEMSEA Blue Carbon Program Updates

The meeting was organized jointly by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS) of the IPB University, Indonesia.

September connected regional decisions with local action—from a new declaration in Busan to community-led work across the region.

In Busan, the 2026 PNLG General Assembly adopted the Busan Declaration on Promoting Local Coastal Resilience and Sustainable Blue Economy and welcomed Atauro Island, Timor-Leste, as the Network’s newest member. Meanwhile, PEMSEA Founder Dr. Chua Tia-Eng returned to the PEMSEA Resource Facility for a discussion with colleagues on  PEMSEA’s history, lessons, and continuing role in advancing sustainable coastal and ocean governance.

PEMSEA project updates include the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN IRBM Project advanced planning for food and biodegradable waste management in the Pasac-Guagua Watershed, while the PRICELESS Project brought stakeholders together in Regions 3 and 4A to tackle challenges and priorities for the Philippine Rise.

In the Philippines and Timor-Leste, MEP partners under the MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project mobilized communities, schools, government agencies and civil society organizations for International Coastal Cleanup activities, turning awareness of marine plastic pollution into action on the ground.

The Fourth Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting 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 ASEAN countries was held on 08 July 2026 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in conjunction with the 26th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management (AWGWRM). Co-chaired by Mr. Oudomsack Philavong, AWGWRM Chairperson, and Mr. Gerd Trogemann of UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, the meeting brought together 55 participants from ASEAN Member States (AMS), the ASEAN Secretariat, UNDP, PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF), and the East Asian Seas Executive
Committee, both in-person and online.

The Meeting reviewed implementation progress of the six participating ASEAN Member States and the regional component, including key achievements, lessons learned, implementation challenges, co-financing delivery, and planned next steps. The RSC also reviewed progress in implementing the approved Mid-Term Review (MTR) Management Response, the preparation of the 2026 Project Implementation Report (PIR), the planned activities for the third and fourth quarters of 2026, and the proposed 2027 Annual Work Plan and Budget, including the proposed no-cost extension of the Project.

The 18th East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council (PC) Meeting was held on July 22-23, 2026 at Aloft Novena Singapore, 16 Ah Hood Rd in Singapore.

Onsite participants of the meeting included the EAS PC Chair and Co-Chair; the Technical Session Chair and Co-Chair; the Intergovernmental Session Chair and Co-Chair; the Executive Director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF); Country Partners (CPs) from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, Republic of Korea (RoKorea), Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam; Non-Country Partners (NCPs) from the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB), Korea Institute for Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM), National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service (NMHMS), Ocean Policy Research Institute – Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF), Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), and the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG). Observers include the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC). The meeting also welcomed its first-ever youth delegate, Dr. Kenny Pang of the Singapore Institute of Technology.