Preparations underway for the East Asian Seas Congress 2021

EARTH DAY, 22 April 2021—The current COVID-19 pandemic has shown the inextricable link between ocean health and human health, with efforts currently underway to act on pressing socioeconomic, environmental, and climate change issues and engage in transformative solutions aligned with key principles and targets of the global ocean agenda.

 

The Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) has formally kickstarted its preparations for the upcoming East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2021, with online events lined up from June 2021 to culminate in a virtual two-day event to be held on 1-2 December, hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia.

 

Themed Charting a New Decade of H.O.P.E. (Healthy Oceans, People and Economies), the EAS Congress aims to: (1) share the lessons learned, track the progress made, and scale up good practices in implementing the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) at the regional, national, and local levels; (2) build on and recalibrate existing management interventions and foster new opportunities for regional partnerships using innovative approaches, technologies, investments, and financing towards the sustainable development of the coastal and marine environment; and (3) set up a clear roadmap on transformative blue solutions in the next decade in accordance with the new normal and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and other relevant international and regional commitments.

 

In celebration of Earth Day, PEMSEA has launched the EAS Congress 2021 website to provide more information on the event, and enable participants and potential partners/collaborators to subscribe to updates such as the important days to remember, registration process, and events programme and access a dynamic platform for knowledge sharing and collaborative action.

 

Collabs: Call for Expressions of Interest

 

The International Conference, which is one of the key events of the Congress, will feature a Plenary and a mix of Collabs (technical and public-oriented discussions, workshops, and training), to be organized by PEMSEA’s partners and networks and other organizations. The Collabs will be held from June 2021 onwards, culminating in the Plenary on 1 December 2021.

 

The Collabs can be arranged based on any of the following subthemes of the Congress:

 

• Securing food security, income, and livelihood
   
• Fostering social inclusion
   
• Managing and restoring natural capital
   
• Managing water quality, access, and security
   
• Reducing pollution and solid waste
   
• Averting climate change and promoting social resilience
   
• Finance and investment in coastal and marine governance
   

PEMSEA has now issued a call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for those who wish to organize these Collabs. The deadline for submission of EOIs is on 14 May 2021, 11:59 pm (GMT+8), and the guidelines can be accessed here.

 

Since 2003, the EAS Congress has established its reputation as an intellectual marketplace and ocean-based forum that uniquely focuses on the world's most diverse and fastest-growing region.

 

The event is open to a broad range of stakeholders, including national and local governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, bilateral and multi-lateral projects, international financial institutions, non-government and civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, and the private sector.

 

For more information, kindly contact the event’s Secretariat by email: EASCongress2021@pemsea.org or visit the Congress website.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

(Ms) Reggie U. Olalia
PEMSEA Communications Specialist
Email: rolalia@pemsea.org
(63-2) 0917-9028121