This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Government/Industry Partnerships for Effective and Consistent, Preparedness and Response to Marine Pollution in East Asia. This workshop reviewed major issues currently faced by countries of East Asia regarding preparedness, response and co-operation for combating oil pollution, with a particular emphasis on: Regional/sub-regional arrangements for pollution response; Challenges in regional government-industry co-operation for spill response; Lessons learned from various regional/subregional arrangements; Integrated approach to regional, national and local oil spill preparedness and response; and Recent developments in Claims and Compensation for Oil Spills.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Networking of Marine Protected Areas: Benefits, Good Practices, Standards and Next Steps. The Workshop on Networking of Marine Protected Areas: Benefits, Good Practices, Standards and Next Steps was one of the events within the theme on Habitat Protection, Restoration and Management. The workshop was co-convened by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, and PEMSEA. In view of the many initiatives to network MPAs in the region, the workshop discussed options for cooperation among various initiatives, strategies, action plans, and working partnerships in MPA networking that have been developed or are being developed in the region, for example the ASEAN Marine Protected Area and Heritage Park initiatives, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), and the South China Sea Fisheries Refugia Initiative. Government personnel from Indonesia, the Philippines, the People’s Republic of China, and Viet Nam, as well as from the ASEAN, CTI, ICRI, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the MPA Learning Partnership, and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), among others, participated in the workshop.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Transboundary Pollution Reduction in River Basins and Coastal Areas. Transboundary transport of pollutants through rivers is recognized as one of the main causes of ecological problems in coastal and marine areas. Reduction of pollution inputs from rivers is hence a prerequisite in addressing downstream pollution impacts in receiving coastal and marine waters. Pollutants can be transported through rivers across jurisdictional boundaries within and across countries, posing a challenge to the effectiveness of separate management efforts among national and sub-national entities, and between river basins and coastal areas. An integrated approach in managing shared water systems and in addressing identified priorities such as pollution, at various levels, is considered an imperative. This workshop aimed to present and take lessons from case studies in the Northwest Pacific, East Asia and other regions on transboundary pollution reduction in rivers and coastal areas through integrated management approaches. It also aimed to share good practices and experiences on integrating pollution reduction measures and tools in river basin management among established river basin management programs and areas that are starting the process.

One of the special events of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress was the PPP for the Rehabilitation of Manila Bay: A CSR Forum. The event gathered around 80 participants, including active CSR practitioners from the corporate sector and representatives from national agencies, local government units as well as other concerned stakeholders from development organizations.

The Forum highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing pollution and other issues, particularly the application of CSR in the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay. The Forum also discussed the contributions of the corporate sector, both existing and prospective, to the rehabilitation of Manila Bay and how they can strategically realign their efforts in achieving the goals and objectives set forth in the Operational Plan for Manila Bay Coastal Strategy (OPMBCS).

The Forum also highlighted the role of integrated coastal management (ICM) as a management tool that could address the three areas of concern in the OPMBCS, namely, Water Pollution, Partnerships and Governance and Overexploitation of Resources. Ms. Malu Erni, Executive Director of Petron Foundation, and Mr. Rogelio Singson, President of Maynilad, served as Chair and Co-Chair, respectively.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Alternative Energy – A Solution for Energy Security for Islands and Remote Areas. "Energy is essential to economic and social development and improved quality of life. Much of the world’s energy, however, is currently produced and consumed in ways that could not be sustained if technology were to remain constant and if overall quantities were to increase substantially." As clearly stated above in Chapter 9 of the Agenda 21, the promotion of technology development and the use of alternative energy is one of the key essential elements for the sustainable development. Islands are surrounded by the oceans which are abundant in the sources for alternative energy. At the same time, small islands as well as remote areas are facing difficulties in securing the energies, which is inevitable for economic and social development and better quality of life. How to secure energy supply in the islands and remote areas is one of the facing issues to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable development. Is introducing alternative energy in small islands and remote areas feasible? The workshop focused on: The status of the technology development of alternative energy; Feasibility of alternative energies; and Utilization of a new finance scheme for promoting alternative energy development and expansion.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on the Continental Shelf: Post-May 2009 Perspectives. This workshop on the national submissions of continental shelf extensions was one of the most important features of the East Asian Seas Congress. In many instances in the past, disputes over land territory pose threats to peace and stability. Quieting of opposing claims and settlement of maritime boundaries will promote regional peace and stability, which is a prerequisite to cooperation in the region to achieve any objective. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which entered into force in 1994, established a new order in the regime of seas. Article 76 of the Convention requires coastal states to establish the outer limits of their continental margin where the margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from its baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. The UN’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (Commission) is mandated to investigate the impact of Article 76 and to facilitate its implementation. So far, the Commission has received 51 submissions and 44 preliminary information notes. The workshop looked at the impacts of national submissions from the perspectives of the academe and ocean policy experts. Discussion on issues of maritime boundaries is a necessary academic exercise because undeniably, these may impact peace and stability, and future cooperation in the Seas of East Asia. Mr. Galo Carrera, a member of the Commission, chaired the workshop with Ms. Valentina Germani from the UN DOALOS, as co-chair.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Addressing Food Security through Sustainable Aquaculture. The Workshop on Addressing Food Security through Sustainable Aquaculture was coconvened by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – Philippines, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations – Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP), and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD). The Pusan National University/Asia-Pacific Phycology Association (APPA) and the University of the Philippines – Marine Science Institute (UP- MSI) also provided technical support to the workshop. The workshop was chaired by Prof. Mohamed Shariff of Universiti Putra Malaysia and was co-chaired by Dr. Jose Ingles of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. Dr. Rogelio Juliano of the Coastal Management Center, Mr. Mike Phillips of the WorldFish Center, Dr. Jobert Toledo of SEAFDEC, and Mr. Miao Weimin of FAO-RAP acted as panelists during the panel discussion on Ways Forward: Mainstreaming Aquaculture in a Sustainable Development Context. This workshop, which had a total of 12 presentations, aimed to: (1) identify the contribution of aquaculture in food security and alleviation of poverty; (2) outline good practices in sustainable aquaculture production; (3) showcase small-scale aquaculture applications and practices and access to low-cost aquaculture technologies; (4) identify means to address emerging and potential issues and concerns (e.g., social, economic, political, environmental) related to the development of aquaculture; and (5) identify means of integrating aquaculture development into the ICM framework.

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on Making Mainstreaming Work: Driving National Action to Address Marine and Coastal Challenges. During the Second Intergovernmental Review of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA), held in Beijing in October 2006 the Governments asked the UNEP/GPA Coordination Office to provide assistance to countries in assessing how the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems contributes to poverty alleviation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The UNEP/GPA Coordination Office was also requested to support countries in mainstreaming the sustainable development of oceans and coasts into international development frameworks and national planning and budgetary processes. In response to this call, the UNEP/GPA Coordination Office has developed an Analytical Framework, Guidelines and Checklist for the Mainstreaming of Marine and Coastal Issues into National Planning and Budgetary Processes, and organized a series of regional meetings to promote this approach. The workshop aimed to contribute to the understanding of how to reconcile development pressures with protection objectives. The sharing of experiences will seek to provide answers to a number of questions namely; what a policy should contain, what policy choices a nation can afford and how to foster collaboration with various organs of the government and other non-state stakeholders to ensure sustainable management of our coastal and marine ecosystems as a contribution to poverty alleviation and the achievement of the MDGs. During the workshop, speakers from Asia, Africa and Wider Caribbean explored the links between the management of coastal and marine resources, poverty reduction and economic growth, based on their country experiences, with a particular focus on policy development and implementation processes. Countries that have embarked on the development of a coherent policy framework to address these challenges shared their mainstreaming experiences. The Chair, Mr. David Osborn, facilitated open interactions among presenters and the audience to seek clarity and promote dialogues to identify and highlight critical success factors for effective mainstreaming in the context of different political and governance systems, and to develop a plan of action to assist countries in their efforts on mainstreaming coastal and marine issues into national planning and budgetary processes.

The Thematic Workshop on Local Government Financing for Water, Sewage and Sanitation was conducted as part of the International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Governance of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2006, which was held in Haikou City, Hainan Province, PR China, on 12-16 December 2006. The thematic workshop addressed the financing issues of a sector that traditionally is nonprofitable — it is severely under-funded in East Asia, with some countries achieving only one percent coverage in sewerage and sanitation. The presentations focused on the challenges facing the sector, the conditions required to overcome the challenges and successful case studies that can be replicated.