Working Together in Building ICM Capacity in the East Asian Region

Danang City, Viet Nam — Thirty one (31) individuals from the national government agencies, local government units and academic and research institutions from eight (8) countries, namely, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam participated in the Regional Training Course on Integrated Coastal Management (Course 1) conducted at Danang University Learning Center, Danang, Viet Nam from 10-13 May 2011.

 

The training was organized and conducted by PEMSEA in collaboration with the Viet Nam Administration for Seas and Islands (VASI), People's Committee of Danang, Danang Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) and Danang University. The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA/SENSA) provided funding support to the training.

 

"ICM development and implementation will be advantageous for the sustainable development and use of coastal and marine areas and natural resources. However, the success of ICM initiation requires financial and technical support, local capacity development, participation from all concerned stakeholders and government commitment and policy support," said Srey Socheat, a staff of the Department of Environment of Kampot province in Cambodia. He further stressed that the training course clearly presented the basic concept, principle, framework, process of Integrated Coastal Management. Moreover, the practical experiences of implementing ICM in the region specifically the Philippines, Indonesia and Viet Nam provided a better understanding on how these ICM elements were applied and how various difficulties and challenges were addressed.

 

The four-day training course not only resulted in a better understanding of the ICM approach but also served as a venue for strengthening partnership and collaboration between international organizations, national agencies, local government units and academic institutions in building capacities for ICM in the region.