Marine Debris or Marine Litter is one of the top priorities in the current global agenda. The issue has been included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under Goal 14 Life Below Water, UNGA as well as UNEA agenda and many other global initiatives. Marine Litter is believed to cause damages to marine life to the extent that some species may go extinct in few decades. Marine litter issue is particularly significant in the East Asian Seas region since the economy of the region is growing fast as the global growth hub. In this, ASEAN countries determined to address this global issue in concerted efforts. As the result, the 1st ASEAN Conference on Reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN Region was organized on 22-23 November 2017 in Phuket, Thailand and various action plans have formulated in the countries of the region.

As oceans are interconnected, marine debris issue should be addressed in a concerted effort around the globe. RO Korea is a leading country in addressing marine litter issue and wish to contribute in mitigating the impact of marine debris. Through this workshop, countries strategies on marine debris will be presented and possible establishment of a network of marine litter research and monitoring in the region will be discussed. Enhancing public awareness and education relating to marine litter around the EAS region will be also discussed.

The East Asian Seas region recognizes the role of youth engagement to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global ocean agenda. Themed “Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda: Active and Engaged Youth”, the Fifth EAS Youth Forum featured peer-to-peer learning discussions, team-building and creative sessions to empower the next generation of young champions for the oceans and coasts. The Youth Forum intended to enhance youth’s understanding on the environment’s current situation and appreciation of the role they can play in sustainable development and the global ocean agenda. The forum gathered 70 youth from EAS countries, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam to learn and interact with a roster of high-profile speakers and leaders in ocean and coastal management.

Specifically, the YF5 aimed to:

1. Launch the PEMSEA Youth Programme and the PEMSEA Network of Young Leaders (PNYL);
2. Provide a conducive platform for mutual exchange of knowledge, experience and skills in sustainable ocean and coastal management;
3. Strengthen the youth’s capacity to develop and/or lead initiatives at the local, national, or regional level;
4. Sustain and expand the network of young people empowered to take actions in protecting the region’s oceans and coasts through the PNYL and its country hubs;
5. Produce a clear youth commitment to achieving sustainable ocean management through the youth declaration; and
6. Promote the youth’s crucial role in achieving the UN SDGs, particularly those contributing to the global ocean agenda.
    

This session focused on interdisciplinary research, which increases understanding of the economic, social, and ecological systems, and how it should, and can be used to support marine planning, management, and future sustainable development and blue economy.

The session aimed to:

• Present different approaches to undertaking blue economy-relevant interdisciplinary research;
• Describe innovative decision support tools that are being developed from this research; and
• Discuss examples of how and where these approaches and tools are, or could be used across the multiple and interacting blue economy sectors (e.g., renewable energy, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, recreation and leisure) to promote sustainability of ecosystem services that underpin these sectors, and are impacted by them.
   

Session 3.1, entitled “Healthy Coasts and Healthy ASEAN Partnership Hub”, shared the status of the coastal and marine resources in the ASEAN, and the conservation actions of the ASEAN Member States (AMS) as they relate to the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Specifically, the Session discussed the relevant Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of the Southeast Asia (SDS-SEA).

Stemming from the progress of the AMS in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Session shared lessons and practices in the region towards achieving an effective Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and MPA networks to mitigate biodiversity loss and maintain productive coastal and marine environment; discussed emerging issues affecting the coastal and marine environment in ASEAN; and identified gaps and opportunities towards creating an enabling policy environment.

In East Asia today, coastal land reclamation is emerging as an attractive option to provision land for real-estate development. This is concerning because coastal land reclamation inevitably degrades the health of the coastal and marine ecosystems and threatens the livelihood, culture, and traditions of fishing communities. With sea-level rise, coastal waterfront development also increases the risk of natural hazards such as tsunami and stormwater flooding. Land reclamation should be seriously concerned regarding the long-term resilience of the coasts and the people of East Asia. In this regard, this session reviewed various dimensions of land reclamation: history and current status, political economic drivers of land reclamation, the importance of preserving wetlands as migratory bird habitats, wetlands restoration, and policies. Panel discussion following the presentations discussed a possibility for creating a regional reclamation watch program to share knowledge on land reclamation among PEMSEA’s member countries. There was a consensus that, as reclamation becomes a profitable business, economic impact assessment alone is not sufficient to assess the real costs and long-term impacts of land reclamation. The session concluded that equity and sustainability, the two main goals of SDGs, should be the leading principles in evaluating the feasibility of present and future reclamation projects.

The session focused on how the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (or NOWPAP), one of the eighteen Regional Seas Programmes of the UN Environment (or UNEP), could keep a momentum and strengthen further regional cooperation and partnership building, which have facilitated scientific assessments, contributed positively to institutional development and were part of the regional ocean governance in the Northwest Pacific region. More specifically, the session explored the challenges and opportunities for regional partnerships and cooperation that are necessary to realize Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and achieving the SDGs.

Presentations were followed by more in-depth discussion focused on marine litter management, pollution reduction and eutrophication, preparedness and response to oil and chemical spills, coastal zone management, and regional ocean governance.

Speakers emphasized that to advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region, NOWPAP would need to address the following three-interconnected challenges:

1. Building lasting regional peace through science diplomacy;
2. Supporting sustainable growth and prosperity; and
3. Protecting the marine and coastal environment.
    

GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a corporate program funded by the GEF and implemented by UNDP to support local actions to address global environmental challenges. SGP provides financial and technical support to communities and civil society organizations to protect the environment while addressing poverty reduction issues through community empowerment. Local successes, if not being scaled up, have limited impacts and cannot reverse the environmental degradation trend in oceans and seas. Recognizing that partnerships are essential to scaling up, SGP has worked with GEF full-sized international waters projects to practice integrated ocean and coastal management through implementing regional action programs at local level and integrating local actions to regional frameworks.

SGP has collaborated with UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project, PEMSEA and UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Project to promote the incorporation of local demonstration activities in collaboration with SGP country programs under the regional projects. SGP has also supported international waters projects to address environmental challenges in the East Asian Seas.

The panelists discussed:

• How projects generate greater results and impact beyond expectations?
• How to create an enabling environment for scaling up?
• What experiences and lessons learnt can be drawn from project implementation?
   

The need for significantly increased investment to achieve the targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is well understood. UNDP cites a USD2.5 trillion gap in investments required to meet the SDGs, and it’s not likely that all of this financing will come from government and donor support. By catalyzing private sector investment, there is an opportunity to redirect billions of dollars of capital away from unsustainable investment towards sustainable, blue economy investments in the region.

To address this need and opportunity, a number of new funds have emerged to focus on investing in sustainable development of oceans, in areas including fisheries, marine pollution and coastal tourism. However, funds face challenges in sourcing investment projects that can support the SDGs while offering viable investment models. Local governments look to engage in the investment conversation, but may not know where to start. At the same time, donor support has a role to play in developing new models and approaches that can lower risks and catalyze the flow of private capital to investments that can have an impact at the local level.

This session was designed to introduce the emerging investment ecosystem for the Seas of East Asia, including lessons learned for sourcing and developing investments that address critical ocean challenges, such as ocean plastics, wastewater, sustainable aquaculture, marine conservation, and more. Building on the regional Strategic Action Programme (SAP) coordinated by PEMSEA, which brings together donors, technical partners and the private sector, this new investment ecosystem can catalyze both public and private financing, building a pipeline of investment opportunities supporting SDG 14 and unlocking the ocean investment potential in region.

This partnership hub aimed to identify and review existing programmes and initiatives on strengthening the integration of women and gender equality in the port and maritime sector. International organizations in this sector (e.g. IMO, ILO) are encouraging countries to enable women to train alongside men to acquire the high-level of competence that the port and maritime industry demands to better cope with the demands of the jobs, including the effects of climate change.

How are the national maritime agencies and training institutes proceeding? The partnership hub aimed to review the progress among East Asian countries, particularly in the context of two key challenges to sustainable port management and operations, namely: climate risk assessment, mitigation and adaptation; and marine environmental protection in the port sector. The application of the Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS) as a framework for facilitating the planning, development implementation of women and gender safeguards in the port industry will also be explored.

The partnership hub also aimed to consider how national agencies and training institutes in the maritime and port sector can be encouraged and assisted to adopt and implement programs on empowering women and gender equality, and to strengthen these aspects in future trainings on PSHEMS and management interventions focused on climate change and marine environmental protection.