Second EAS Partnership Council Meeting Held in Japan

Tokyo, Japan — On 14-17 July, the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council held its second meeting in Tokyo, Japan. Representatives from 22 Country and non-Country Partners as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), PEMSEA Network of Local Governments implementing ICM (PNLG) and Thailand (country observer) attended the Meeting. The Meeting was organized by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and co-organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) with the support of the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF) of Japan.The 2nd PC Meeting delved into several important issues, such as PEMSEA's legal personality, GEF/UNDP/UNOPS Project on the Implementation of the SDS-SEA, the EAS Congress 2009, subregional transboundary projects, and critical and emerging issues in the region. In addition, the future direction of the Partnership mechanism and areas of focus in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) were tabled.During the Meeting, a new non-Country Partner, the International Center for the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS), of Japan, was presented and its inclusion as a PEMSEA Partner was made official with the signing ceremony of a Letter of Cooperation (LOC) between PEMSEA and EMECS.The Council meeting was followed by the PEMSEA/Japan Joint Seminar on Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in the Seas of East Asia on 18 July. The objective of this event was to share knowledge and good practices in coastal and marine management and identify possible areas of collaboration. In particular, the Seminar highlighted the PEMSEA ICM practices, including experiences in Xiamen and Manila Bay. Japanese experts shared experiences on some of their projects related to coastal rehabilitation and innovative technologies. Participants to the Seminar included representatives from government agencies and universities in Japan, as well as members of the EAS Partnership Council.The EAS Partnership Council is one of the four components of PEMSEA. Its main task is to provide policy and operational guidance for, as well as steer, monitor and review the progress of, SDS-SEA implementation. The Council is composed of the 11 Country Partners (Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) and 16 non-Country Partners (Conservation International Philippines, Coastal Management Center, EMECS, GEF/Small Grants Programme, IOC/WESTPAC, International Ocean Institute, Korea Environment Institute, Korea Maritime Institute, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Northwest Pacific Action Plan, Ocean Policy Research Foundation of Japan, Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response Limited, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Swedish Environment Secretariat for Asia, UNEP/GPA, and UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Project.The Executive Committee of the Council is composed of Dr. Chua Thia-Eng (Council Chair); Dr. Li Haiqing (Intergovernmental Session Chair); and Mr. Hiroshi Terashima (Technical Session Chair). The Executive Director of the PRF, Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, serves as Secretary of the Executive Committee.The First Partnership Council Meeting was held in Manado City, Indonesia in July 2007.