The 2020 Forum of the PNLG with the theme, “Marine Eco‐civilization, Blue Development” was hosted by the Xiamen Municipal Government and co‐organized by the PNLG Secretariat, the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF), the Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans (FISO) and Coastal and Ocean Management Institute (COMI) of Xiamen University (XMU). The forum was conducted on 24 November 2020 via a blended online and face‐to‐face meeting for the local attendees in Xiamen.

Over one hundred thirty participants from: a) 35 PNLG member local governments from eight countries, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor Leste, and Viet Nam; b) from PNLG Associate members, namely the First Institute of Oceanography and COMI; c) resource speakers and other invited experts, d) the PNLG Secretariat and e) the PRF attended the forum. A representative from Busan, Republic ok Korea also attended the forum as observer.

The 25th EC Meeting was conducted via Zoom on 27 October 2020. The meeting was participated by the EAS Partnership Council Chair, Mr. Arief Yuwono; Council Co-Chair, Dr. Vann Monyneath; Technical Session Chair, Dr. Jae Ryoung Oh; Technical Session Co-Chair; Dr. Keita Furukawa; and Intergovernmental Session Co-Chair, Deputy Director General (DDG) Chen Danhong. The meeting also welcomed representatives from the Cambodian Ministry of Environment (MOE), China-PEMSEA Center, Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), and the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as observers.

Representatives from PEMSEA, NIVA, and CSEAS undertook a trip to Cavite, Philippines, facilitated by Cavite PG-ENRO, to study the proposed pilot site for the Philippine sub-component of the ASEANO project, to meet relevant stakeholders, and to launch the sub-component through an inception workshop with relevant stakeholders from the city of Dasmariñas and nearby areas.

During two days of site visits, various sites along the river were visited and documented, and local stakeholders including politicians and academe representatives were met. These visits allowed the project team to obtain a better picture of existing waste reduction efforts along the Imus river. For the river, the project team observed an expected increase in pollution levels as the river moved downstream, and observed numerous areas of waste accumulation and points of waste entry into the river. The university stakeholders, Cavite State University and De La Salle University Dasmariñas, expressed great support for the project and are enthusiastic about becoming involved in the research component of the project. Local politicians were also supportive, and referred us to their various material recovery schemes, which across different jurisdictions performed similar material recovery including producing biogas, recycling plastic into new products such as bags and ecobricks, and creating charcoal.

The Inception Workshop held on 5th March brought together stakeholders and interested parties with the dual aims of introducing these parties to the project and providing an opportunity for the project team to ask questions of these individuals. Local inputs and recommendations were sought on a number of different topics, and these inputs will be used to guide the project going forwards.

A project team meeting comprising of core representatives from Cavite, PEMSEA, NIVA and CSEAS, was held to reflect on the learnings of the previous days and chart the way forward for the Philippine sub-component. Existing information will be compiled into a background report on the Imus river, which will be included as a section within the overall ASEANO project’s baseline report. Further smaller meetings and discussions are expected over the coming months, and future in person meetings are expected around the middle of the year.

The Inception Workshop of the GEF/UNDP Project on Implementation of Arafura and Timor Seas Regional and National Strategic Programs: Second Phase of the Arafura-Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Program (ATSEA 2) was held at the Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on 18 November 2019.

The Workshop was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Representatives from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country Offices of Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, and the UNDP Regional Hub Bangkok were also present on behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNDP. Stakeholder partner organizations from the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia, Indonesian Seas Large Marine Ecosystem (ISLME), and Yayakan Conservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) were also represented during the Workshop. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as Secretariat for the Workshop, with local support from UNDP Indonesia.

The publication summarizes the proceedings of the Inception Workshop. Powerpoint presentations delivered during the workshop are herewith accessible.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
ATSEA2/DOC/01             Inception Workshop Objectives
ATSEA2/DOC/02             ATSEA1 Background and Lessons Learned
ATSEA2/DOC/03             Project Structure, Overall Goals, Objectives and Outcomes
ATSEA2/DOC/04             Project Strategic Results Framework
ATSEA2/DOC/05             Stakeholder Partnership Forum
ATSEA2/DOC/06             YCAN TNC Presentation
ATSEA2/DOC/07             ISLME Presentation
ATSEA2/DOC/08             CTC Presentation
ATSEA2/DOC/09             ATSEA IW M&E