Ecosystems along a continuum from source-to-sea are being degraded as an unintended consequence of economic activities that might happen far upstream or downstream in the source-to-sea system (Granit. J. et al, 2017). This is happening primarily for two reasons: 1) lack of awareness and understanding of the land-to-sea ecosystem linkages and flows of water, sediment, pollutants, biota and ecosystem services; and 2) lack of capacity and know-how to avoid or mitigate the interconnected threats and negative impacts coming from multiple sectors and multiple resource users. The impacts of climate change currently add further stresses in river basins and coastal and sea areas in most regions of the world. It is clearly evident that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) include a number of targets (e.g., SDG 2, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14 and15) that are directly dependent upon the ability of governments and their partners to overcome these barriers.

A related overarching concern is that water use among East Asian and Southeast Asian countries is growing rapidly, while water quality and quantity challenges persist in such a way that the situation in some areas has threatened to derail economic growth. Increased population has intensified freshwater usage, both surface and ground water. Water demand is increasing drastically due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and agriculture/food production intensification and expansion, and many areas in the region are projected to be water stressed by 2025 (Lee 2013).

These two issues are inseparably linked and require urgent attention.

The S2S Partnership Hub Dialogue session aimed to:

1. enhance S2S awareness by sharing the experiences and perspectives of policymakers, managers and practitioners at the regional, national and local levels;
    
2. identify priority demands, opportunities and challenges for further development and up-scaling of S2S solutions across the region;
    
3. explore and gather inputs on a regional approach to S2S, including potential value-add, focus areas, content, partners, etc. and, in doing so, confirm interest and informal endorsement of next steps.
    

Earth observations from space can provide unique and cost-effective information to greatly aid sustainable marine management in the East Asian Seas region. This is demonstrated through developments of scientific integration into services allowing actionable intelligence to end-users, such as those in fisheries and aquaculture, marine planning, water quality monitoring, maritime security, oil spill preparedness and response, and environmental protection.

The sessions specifically aimed to identify opportunities for the application or further integration of Earth Observation (EO) data, including training for the use of Earth Observation data to support future SDS-SEA (Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia) actions.

The Gulf of Thailand (GOT) workshop on the Use of Chemical Dispersants and Oil Spill Contingency Planning at the Sub-regional Level was successfully conducted on November 28, 2018 at Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, Philippines.

The Workshop was attended by nineteen (19) representatives from the GOT national contact points and relevant agencies of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and partner organizations from the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), IMO-IPIECA Global Initiative for South East Asia (GI-SEA) and ITOPF.

EAS Congress 2018 Daily Bulletin for 28 November 2018.

EAS Congress 2018 Daily Bulletin for 27 November 2018.

The upcoming East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress celebrates 25 years of partnerships for healthy oceans, people and economies.

Application forms to organize Partnership Hubs may be found here.

Information on EAS Congress registration and other arrangements will be released soon.

Sixty young leaders from nine countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam) in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region participated in, and contributed to the Da Nang Youth Declaration: Charting the Future We Want. Based on our experiences in the 4th EAS Youth Forum and participation in the EAS Congress international conference, we provide this Declaration and roadmap for action.

Session 1:

A Decade of Partnerships in Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia:

Synergies and Achievements

Workshop 1:

Managing Risks in Climate Change and Disasters in the Seas of East Asia

17‐18 November 2015

Co‐convening Agencies:

Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM) and

Korea Environment Institute (KEI)

Chair:

Mr. N.M.S.I. Arambepola, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)

Co‐chairs:

Dr. Chang Man, KOEM

Dr. Park Kwang Kook, KEI

The Special Partnership Council Meeting was held at Ocean Ballroom of Furama Resort Hotel, Da Nang, Viet Nam on November 18, 2015. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Viet Nam hosted the event, which was attended by representatives from 11 Country Partners and 16 Non‐Country Partners. Representatives from the UNDP, UNEP, the GEF, the World Bank, CBD Secretariat, WorldFish, GIZ, and several universities also participated in the meeting.

The participants were welcomed by Ambassador Mary Seet‐Cheng, Chair of EAS Partnership Council, Mr. Chu Pham Ngoc Hien, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment of Vietnam and Mr. Stephen Adrian Ross, Executive Director of PEMSEA. Dr. Chua Thai‐Eng, Chair Emeritus of the EAS Partnership Council, delivered a keynote on legacies of PEMSEA and future directions. The meeting witnessed the partnership development of PEMSEA with signing of agreements with Burapha University (Thailand), Prince of Songkla University (Thailand), National University of Timor‐Leste, Oriental University of Timor‐Leste and Ocean College of Zhejiang University (China) to become PEMSEA ICM Learning Centres. PEMSEA also signed an MOU with DPR Korea to expand ICM programs in the country. UNDP, the GEF, OPRI‐SPF, the World Bank, CBD Secretariat, ACB and WorldFish made statements on the accomplishments of PEMSEA,  opportunities of the organizational development and future areas of collaboration under the framework of the SDS‐SEA 2015.