PEMSEA holds a dialogue on the future of the Seas of East Asia beyond 2020

From left to right: Dr. Laura David, Dr. Antonio La Viña, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, and Ms. Deborah Robertson.

 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) organized an Ocean Leadership Roundtable Dialogue at the Peninsula Manila Hotel on 26 July 2018. This dialogue aimed to map out the prospects and outlook for the coasts and oceans of the East Asian region beyond 2020. A panel of influential thought leaders in the fields of economics and finance, coastal and ocean governance, and marine science led the discussions towards developing ambitious and transformative actions to secure the region’s healthy oceans, people, and economies.

 

 

The roundtable included a question and answer session with the audience.

 

The featured experts provided perspectives pertaining to relevant political, economic and social trends, and provided a scientific understanding of how to assess the possible impacts and opportunities of the EAS region post-2020. The speakers included Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, Chair Emeritus of the EAS Partnership Council, Ms. Deborah Robertson, Natural Resources Specialist at the Asian Development Bank and Dr. Laura David, Professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. The “EAS Futures Outlook” roundtable session was facilitated by Dr. Antonio La Viña, PEMSEA Council Chair.

 

 

After the event the ocean leaders were presented with steel straws.

 

The dialogue was conducted during the 10th East Asian Seas Partnership Meeting, where PEMSEA also reviewed its body of work on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. As a collective partnership, PEMSEA discussed its role in addressing global and regional trends, and the types of innovative partnership arrangements it should enter into, building upon its work on scaling up  the integrated coastal management system in the region.

 

 

 

Footage of the event and an interview with PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales was captured by People’s Television. It can be watched on their youtube channel.