This publication summarizes the results of the the Fourth Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The 4th Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia, the culminating event of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2012, in Changwon City, Republic of Korea, on the theme "Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia," was held on 12 July 2012. Participating in the forum were 11 Ministers from the Seas of East Asia countries and observers from among the PEMSEA Non-Country Partners, together with PEMSEA's East Asian Seas Partnership Council Executive Committee, representatives from PEMSEA’s sponsoring agencies, the GEF, UNDP and the World Bank, and other observers from the local governments and the private sector.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on the Future of the Maritime Transport in a Blue Economy held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The various workshops highlighted and discussed the work of IMO and other international organizations, national and local government units and the private sector on their efforts in reducing the impacts of pollution caused by sea transportation and oil production including initiatives in enhancing capacities for oil spill preparedness and response at the regional, national and local level, specifically on the following: Global Regulatory Framework Toward Green Shipping IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) Ballast Water Control and Management Climate Change and Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Current Trends, Issues and Research and Development (R&D) Requirements in Oil Spill Response IMO-IPIECA Global Initiative (GI) in Southeast Asia Lessons Learned from Recent Oil Spill Incidents (Macondo Blowout and Hebei Spirit) Regional Arrangements on Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Developments in the Compensation Regime for Oil and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Incidents Case Study on Oil Removal Operation from Sunken Kyungshin Building Capacities for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response at the Local Level HNS Preparedness and Response

This publication summarizes the results of the Special Workshop on PSHEMS Governance Process held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop on PSHEMS Governance Process was convened to discuss the governance mechanism and processes for the operationalization of the Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS).

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Enabling an Ocean-based Blue Economy at the Local Level through Innovative Technologies and Applications held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop was able to present examples of innovative technologies and approaches for maintaining and restoring ecosystem services and integration of the technologies into government programs through development plans and master plans. The discussions also highlighted the importance of using science in a meaningful way to guide local management decisions and actions for the protection of ecosystem services, developing the social capital, ensuring involvement of people, knowledge-sharing and learning from good practices as well as failures.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Using ICM as a Tool to Achieve Aichi Targets held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop explored good practices from country case studies on the use of marine protected areas (MPAs), integrated coastal management (ICM) and other approaches to address biodiversity loss, reduce pressures, improve the status and enhance benefits of coastal and marine biodiversity and ecosystem services to contribute to the achievement of the Aichi targets as embodied in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Our coasts and seas: The engine of the blue economy held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop under Subtheme 1, "Our coasts and seas: the engine of the blue economy," aimed to: Discuss national and local level initiatives in line with sustainable development principles. Examine the contribution of integrated coastal management (ICM) in the efforts to sustain the coasts and oceans of the region. Integrate the information to see how they contribute to the development of an ocean-based blue economy in the East Asian Seas region.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Food Security in Watersheds and Coastal Areas held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. With the WorldFish Center as the co-convenor, representatives from the national and local government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private sector, civil society groups, research institutions and the academe from various countries participated in Workshop 1: Food Security in Watersheds and Coastal under Subtheme 3: Securing Ecosystem Services through Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Certifying Leaders in Integrated Coastal and Ocean Governance held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012.

One of the issues discussed in the 2009 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress in Manila, Philippines, was that in the future — and to further create a demand and an incentive to stay the course of integrated coastal and ocean governance — there is a need to professionalize ICM practice. A certification program for practitioners is one strategy for meeting that need.

This publication summarizes the results of the Subregional Inception Workshop on Environmental Sensitivity Mapping for the Gulf of Thailand held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The project activities and expected outputs of the workshop include the following: Establishment of the subregional ESI project steering committee Establishment of national ESI technical teams Conduct of subregional inception workshop Data gathering, validation, assessment and analysis Production of ESI maps for each country Conduct of national validation workshops Conduct of subregional integration workshop (integration of maps to produce a GOT ESI Atlas) Publication of the GOT ESI atlas Implementation of communication and advocacy plan