The Sixth Ministerial Forum was held at Courtyard by Marriott, Iloilo City, Philippines on 29 November 2018. Carrying the theme, “25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda”, the Sixth Ministerial Forum was hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. Present in the forum were 11 Ministers and heads of delegations from the East Asian Countries, and about 50 observers from among the PEMSEA Non-Country Partners, together with members of PEMSEA’s East Asian Seas Partnership Council Executive Committee, representatives from PEMSEA’s sponsoring agencies, the GEF and UNDP, and some PEMSEA collaborators.

The highlights of the Sixth Ministerial Forum, included:
The presentation of the key results of the Regional and National State of Oceans and Coasts (SOC) reports on Blue Economy;
Delivery of individual country statements highlighting countries’ outlook, plans and initiatives related to the implementation of the SDS-SEA in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and
The signing of the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration on East Asian Region Moving as One for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies.
The Regional and National SOC Reports are key outputs of the PEMSEA member countries that looked into the countries’ ocean economy, ocean industries, valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services, risks and pressures on oceans in the region, and examples of blue economy initiatives. The reports aim to provide the baseline for future assessments. Initial estimates show that the SOC provides a comprehensive approach to evaluate the contribution of oceans and coasts, impacts of human activity on the ocean, as well as monitor progress towards the SDGs, SDS-SEA, and other international agreements through the blue economy and ocean governance initiatives. Based on the reports, the oceans serve as an important source of income and jobs for countries in the EAS region, with significant share in countries’ GDP. While ocean’s ecosystem services are still not much valued in most countries, available information showed ocean as a natural capital represents 50-55% of ocean economy across the region. It is hoped that the SOC can be utilized as an important tool to advance scientific support, raise public awareness, promote good governance and partnerships for blue economy, and foster the development of synergies among the various sectors and stakeholders.

The Forum culminated with the signing of the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration on East Asian Region Moving as One for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies. The Declaration reaffirmed the countries’ ommitment to the SDS-SEA, and in particular to achieving the remaining targets from the Da Nang Compact, regular updating of SOC reports, reducing or preventing marine pollution of all kinds, promotion of sustainable coastal tourism programs, support development of blue economy investment projects, and support operations of PRF as coordinating mechanism for SDS-SEA implementation through voluntary contributions beyond 2019.

This declaration was written and agreed upon by the delegates of the Fifth EAS Youth Forum, held in Iloilo City, Philippines, from 26-30 November 2018.

It was presented by the PEMSEA Network of Young Leaders (PNYL) Captain John Carl Alonsagay during the closing ceremony of the EAS Congress 2018.

TRANSLATIONS      DOCUMENT TITLE
中文                        2018 东亚青年“海洋与气候可持续行动”宣言
 

Toolkit used by delegates at the Fifth EAS Youth Forum, which took place at the EAS Congress 2018.

The Sixth Senior Government Officials’ Meeting (SGOM) was held at the VIP Room, Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, Philippines on 28 November 2018. Senior Government Officials from 11 PEMSEA Country Partners participated in the meeting, namely: Cambodia, PR China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting. The Meeting agreed to adopt the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration as revised by the Meeting, for submission to the Sixth Ministerial Forum for final signature.

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.