PEMSEA supports IMO on biofouling management through establishing the Regional Strategy on Biofouling Management in the EAS Region and forming the RTF which will drive the biofouling management in the region.

The proposed objectives of the 1st RTF meeting were to:

• Agree on the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) of the RTF;
• Elect the Chairperson of the RTF;
• Review the draft zero-version of the Regional Strategy on Biofouling Management in the EAS Region; and
• Take up other matters arising to the meeting

It is noted that the countries of the “East Asian Seas (EAS) Region” in this document covers the participating countries of ASEAN and PEMSEA including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

The 28th PEMSEA EC Meeting was held virtually on 24 March 2022 via Zoom. It was participated by the EC, particularly the Chair and Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Session Chair, and Technical Session Chair of the EAS Partnership Council (PC) and the Executive Director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF); as well as observers from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) of China, China-PEMSEA Sustainable Coastal Management Cooperation Center (CPC), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. PRF served as the secretariat of the meeting.

The Arafura-Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Program Phase 2 (ATSEA-2) Live Webinar of Mainstreaming Gender and Social Inclusion in Fishery and Marine Sector in the Arafura and Timor Seas Region was conducted via live YouTube on 10 June 2021.

Ms. Thea Arcella Bohol, ATSEA GESI Specialist, welcomed participants to the workshop on behalf of the ATSEA-2 project. Ms. Bohol informed that speakers and panelists of this webinar come from various areas of expertise, including government officials, civil society, the private sector, and research institutes. One hundred and fifty-four participants from different countries, including Indonesia, Timor Leste, the Philippines, Papua New, Australia, Cambodia, and Japan, attended the webinar. The webinar also celebrated World Ocean Day under the theme the ocean Life and Livelihood. This webinar response to the call for a more inclusive approach to reducing vulnerability in the fisheries and marine sector, particularly for women and minorities. The webinar seeks to answer how to apply further gender and social inclusion in the fisheries sector to ensure that minorities and women roles are appreciated and could also participate in sustainable fisheries marine management.

Ms. Yayan Hikmayani, S.Pi., M.Si. officially opened the event on behalf of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF). Ms. Hikmayani shared the gender discourse history since the early development in the seventies. In 1995, Indonesia issued presidential instruction no.9/1995 on mainstreaming gender in development. According to this regulation, gender should be an integral part of development processes to ensure men and women receive equal rights. The ministry has developed gender working groups and conducted several programs. The latest work was the development of the Gender Development Index (GDI) in 2020. The index can be used as the basis to examine men and women’s position in marine and fisheries sector and the formulation of future policies and regulations. Five panelists presented a wide range of gender and social inclusion issues, from the overall concept of GESI to GESI approach at the project level to the impact of Covid-19 on women and fisheries.

Ms. Yenny Widjaja of UNDP stressed the importance of gender mainstreaming. However, the social inclusion concept offers a more comprehensive approach to project implementation. Ms. Karen Hildahl of UNDP pointed that ideally, there should be more than one focal point at the project level to fully incorporate gender into project day-to-day activities. Ms. Kusni Setyowati, Director of PT. Kelola Laut Indonesia provides an insight into private sector experience in working with the community including women in fisheries product processing. Proper procedures and hygiene training should be provided due to the fragility of fisheries products.

Mr. Dedi Supriadi Adhuri of Research Center for Society and Culture, Indonesian Institute of Sciences suggested that a project can achieve better results when working with women organizations compare to working on an individual level. Participation of women, men, and minority is vital in any decision-making, and access is available to related resources to ensure an inclusive process. There should also be an increased awareness on cross-sectional of gender, climate change, and marine protection.

The EAS Congress 2021 was hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and co-organized by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in Cambodia, Provincial Administration of Preah Sihanouk (SHV), and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility.