The Project Steering Committee Meeting of the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA Project on Scaling up Implementation of the SDS-SEA was held at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, Philippines on July 24, 2018. The Meeting was attended by representatives from seven project participating countries, namely: China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and the UNDP Regional Hub Bangkok were present on behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting.

The PSC Meeting focused on the key findings and recommendations of the Project Mid-Term Review, the key accomplishments in countries, and the project work plan and budget for 2018- 2019.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
PSC/18/DOC/01              Country Progress Report: Cambodia
PSC/18/DOC/02              Country Progress Report: China
PSC/18/DOC/03              Country Progress Report: Indonesia
PSC/18/DOC/04              Country Progress Report: Lao PDR
PSC/18/DOC/05              Country Progress Report: Philippines
PSC/18/DOC/06              Country Progress Report: Thailand
PSC/18/DOC/07              Country Progress Report: Timor-Leste
PSC/18/DOC/08              Country Progress Report: Viet Nam
PSC/18/DOC/09              Regional Progress Report: Self-Sustainability
PSC/18/DOC/10              Regional Progress Report: Capacity Development
PSC/18/DOC/11              Regional Progress Report: Gulf of Thailand and Oil Spill Preparedness Response
PSC/18/DOC/12              Regional Progress Report: PSHEMS
PSC/18/DOC/13              Mid-Term Review Report
 

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.

In developing countries, coastal ecosystems — coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds — provide fish to eat and trade, support tourism, protect coastlines from storms and filter water. Coastal communities rely on these coastal ecosystems for their livelihoods, food and wellbeing. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are under threat from pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing, unsustainable coastal development and climate change.

The Capturing Coral Reef & Related Ecosystem Services (CCRES) project (2014-2018) has been assisting governments and communities to sustain these coastal ecosystems. In collaboration with project partners and beneficiaries, the CCRES project has developed a suite of technical models, tools and knowledge products to assist managers, policymakers and planners to strengthen the governance of coastal ecosystems.

The tools are used for planning Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), modelling socioecological systems, developing sustainable enterprises and fostering behaviour change. They have been developed following research by multi-disciplinary teams that include scientists, policy-makers, businesses and other experts from a range of fields — collaboration between centres of discovery, learning and engagement in North America, Australia and importantly our partners in Indonesia and the Philippines.

In this session attendees joined fun, interactive “speed-dating” groups, facilitated by experienced CCRES team members. The session “matched” tools with 24 participants and explored how together they can strengthen integrated coastal management, planning and governance across the East Asian Seas region.