2015 as a crucial year for global development commitments and targets

 

Manila, Philippines— The 6th East Asian Seas Partnership Council was held at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center, Makati, Philippines from 23 to 25 June 2014. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines co-hosted the Meeting. The Meeting was attended by representatives from 10 countries, 11 representatives from regional organizations, the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments, scientific and technical institutions and business networks, as well as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.
Central to the agenda of the 6th EAS Partnership Council Meeting was the assessment of progress made and the mechanisms needed to realize the target of establishing PEMSEA into a self-sustaining international organization.
The Council recognized the importance of establishing the PEMSEA brand as an integral aspect of enhancing PEMSEA’s value as well as achieving self-sustainability.  A branding workshop conducted during the Technical Session highlighted the rebranding of PEMSEA as an organization with a strong focus on partnership, strong leadership, best practices and expertise, and an integrated management approach to overcoming the challenges to sustainable development.
The EAS Partnership Council also emphasized that 2015 is a crucial year for global sustainable development commitments and targets. In line with this, the Partnership Council endorsed the establishment of a Technical Working Group that will be responsible for the review and updating of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) to ensure its alignment with recent global and regional commitments and targets. The Council targeted the updated SDS-SEA and strategic targets for post-2015 for the EAS region to be ready for adoption by the Fifth Ministerial Forum in 2015.