The workshop emphasized the major contributions of the maritime transport sector to a blue economy for the East Asian Seas region and the corresponding risks and potential negative impacts to the marine environment resulting from increased demand for maritime services. As emphasized in the introduction by the Workshop Chair, Mr. Brian Sullivan, IPIECA, 80% of world trade is conveyed through the ocean and 32% of the world’s hydrocarbons are derived from the ocean floor. While there is great potential for growth in the maritime economy, it also brings corresponding risks such as the impacts of sea incidents to oceans and seas. Oil spills, air emissions from ships, transport of hazardous and noxious substances and climate change were among the emerging environmental concerns in the maritime sector, which were discussed during the workshop.

The workshop also featured programmes and initiatives of international and regional organizations and projects, selected national maritime administrations, port industry association and oil and gas industry organizations, which demonstrated commitments to promoting environmental sustainability in the maritime sector including: preventing and reducing the impact of oil spills from tanker accidents; climate change mitigation measures; initiatives in promoting safety and health of workers and reducing environmental risks in port areas, including air emissions from shipping and port operations; and building capacities in oil spill preparedness and response through government‐industry partnerships.

The Fifth Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia, the culminating event of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2015, was held at the Furama Resort in Da Nang, Viet Nam on 20 November 2015. The Fifth Ministerial Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Viet Nam. Participating in the forum were 11 Ministers and heads of delegations from the East Asian countries, and about 80 observers from among the PEMSEA Non‐Country Partners, together with the members of PEMSEA’s East Asian Seas Partnership Council Executive Committee, representatives from PEMSEA’s sponsoring agencies, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, and other representatives from the local governments and the private sector.

Eleven Ministers and heads of delegations present at the forum affixed their signatures to the Da Nang Compact on the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia 2015, reflecting the firm commitment of the countries of the East Asian Seas region to move the global sustainable development agenda forward.

The Workshop on Scaling up ICM: Innovations and Impacts at Local, National, and Regional Levels under Session 2, with presentations and discussions on national and local experiences from countries and various programs and projects in the region, served as a venue for taking stock of lessons learned, good practices, impacts and benefits of ICM implementation, challenges and gaps, and key actions to promote replication and scaling up of good practices and innovations.

The workshop consisted of presentations and panel discussions organized into four parts as follows:

• Part 1A: Good Practices, Innovation and Impacts in ICM Applications at the Local Level
• Part 1B: Good Practices, Innovation and Impacts in ICM Applications in Japan
• Part 2: Good Practices, Innovations and Impacts in ICM applications for MPA and MPA Networks
• Part 3: Transferring and Scaling up of ICM Good Practices and Innovations
   

The 2015 Annual Forum of PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) was held at Pullman Hotel, Da Nang City, Viet Nam, on 20 November 2015. The People’s Committee of Da Nang City hosted the Forum.

The Forum was attended by representatives from 26 of the 40 PNLG Regular Members, namely: Cambodia (Sihanoukville); China (Beihai, Changyi, Dongying, Fangchenggang, Pingtan, Quanzhou, Wenzhou, and Xiamen); Indonesia (Bali Province, Buleleng Regency, and Sukabumi  regency); Japan (Shima), Malaysia (Northern Selangor, Port Klang, and Sepang); Philippines (Bataan, Batangas, Cavite and Guimaras); RO Korea (Ansan and Changwon); Thailand (Chonburi); and Viet Nam (Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Thua Thien Hue). Representatives from the two Associate Members, i.e., First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University, China, also attended the event.

Representatives from various local governments and institutions participated as observers, including: Cambodia (Kampot, Kep, and Koh Kong); China (State Oceanic Administration); Japan (Obama City and Omura City); Lao PDR (Champasack Province, Saravanne Province, and Sekong Province); Philippines (Bataan Coastal Care Foundation, Inc.); and Timor‐Leste (Dili Municipality and Liquiça Municipality).

The concept of blue economy is evolving as the ocean space is changing dramatically, driven by innovations, new industries, shifting demands, and pressures from changing environment and climate.

The workshop aimed to:

a. create understanding of the blue economy through country presentations of ocean-based and ocean‐related economic activities, and their contribution to national economies;

b. examine the sustainability of such activities through valuation of ecosystem services and damages;

c. identify on‐going investments in innovative practices and technologies that contribute to blue economy development, address environmental and resource degradation and climate change impacts, and make economic activities more environmentally sound;

d. discuss the development of a road map and policy recommendations for institutionalizing ocean economy and environment accounting, promoting blue economy investments and innovations, formulating a blue economy approach to sustainable development of coasts and oceans, and monitoring and reporting progress and gaps.

The Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM) was launched in 2009 to address the global challenges faced by the mismanagement of nutrients and nutrient over‐enrichment. It is a global partnership of governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector, NGOs and international organizations. It responds to the ‘nutrient challenge’ — how to reduce the amount of excess nutrients in the global environment consistent with global development. The GPNM reflects a need for strategic, global advocacy to trigger governments and stakeholders in moving towards more efficient and effective nitrogen and phosphorous use and lower losses associated with human activities. It provides a platform for governments, UN agencies, scientists and the private sector to forge a common agenda, mainstreaming best practices and integrated assessments, so that policy and investment responses/options are effectively ‘nutrient proofed’. The GPNM also provides a space where countries and other stakeholders can forge more co‐operative work across the variety of international and regional fora and agencies dealing with nutrients, including the importance of impact assessment work. The work of the GPNM is advanced by a Steering Committee, a sub‐set of the Partnership members and is supported by the GPA Unit of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Branch of the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation of UNEP, which serves as the Secretariat to the Steering Committee.

The GPNM, in collaboration with the hosts of the 2015 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, the Government of Viet Nam through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) hosted a Technical and Policy Workshop on Sustainable Nutrient Management. This workshop, convened within the EAS Congress on 18th of November 2015, showcased the main technical deliverables of the GEF‐funded Global Nutrient Cycle Project, and focused on policy and mainstreaming of the nutrient management agenda within countries of the Asia subregion under the aegis of an Asian Regional Nutrient Management Platform of the GPNM. The technical session of the workshop presented the state‐of‐the‐art in the science and understanding of the global nutrient challenge and introduced management tools designed for technical (and policy) advisory personnel. The Policy session reviewed the relevance of the nutrient management challenge in relation to sustainable development, food security and environmental quality, presented the global agenda for nutrient management and its relationship to regional development agendas, and explored options for strengthening of the GPNM Asia Platform.

The Fifth Senior Government Officials’ Meeting (SGOM) was held at the Son Tra Hall of the Furama Resort in Da Nang, Viet Nam, on 20 November 2015. Senior government officials from 11 PEMSEA Partner Countries participated in the meeting, namely: Cambodia, PR China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor‐Leste and Viet Nam.

The workshop aims to: (a) review the application and benefits derived from transference and effective use of good Knowledge Management (KM) practices and platforms in various projects; (b) identify the potential use of such innovations in other projects and by other sectors; (c) determine how a regional KM platform can serve to improve access to, and scale up investments in, good practices; (d) develop ‘Best Practice Guidelines’ for regional KM in a blue economy based on the collective input and group discussions; and (e) capture the discussed KM ideas, processes and products using a visual storytelling approach.