Dear PEMSEA community,

Welcome to the June e-bulletin.

This month, the Arafura Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Project conducted the Senior Government Officials Meeting to finalize preparations for the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) Ministerial Forum which will be held in Dili, Timor Leste on 19-20 Setember 2024. The month also saw the passing of new fisheries management legislation in the South Fly District of Papua New Guinea.

The annual PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) Executive Committee Meeting saw the induction of a new associate member, the Dongying Huanhai Institute for Marine Conservation and Development. PEMSEA's Marine Plastics Project held several Ocean Day initiatives throughout the Philippines, in cooperation with local government, NGOs, and academe. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), China, released a new assessment on China’s coastal and marine ecosystems, documenting challenges and successes for China's marine and coastal areas.

The program for the East Asian Seas Congress 2024 has been released. The congress has four subthemes: Ocean Science, Policy, and Practice; Global Challenges, Local Solutions; Innovation and Digitalization of Ocean Action; and Blue Financing and Investments. We invite all interested parties to register for the Congress, that will take place on 6-8 November in Xiamen. China.

Dear PEMSEA community,

Welcome to the May e-bulletin.

This month, PEMSEA gratefully received many expressions of interest to convene sessions on various coastal and marine themes at the EAS Congress 2024 on 6-8 November 2024, noting the importance of learning exchange and pursuing more collaborative actions to tackle global challenges. The IRBM project has released its second 2024 newsletter, highlighting key progress, including a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis of planned activities to ensure equitable resource distribution and conflict prevention. PEMSEA attended the Asia-Pacific Dialogue on Blue Economy to help build a shared understanding of blue economy and financing. ASEAN has released the Sixth ASEAN State of the Environment Report, and PEMSEA is monitoring the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee's discussions on a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution to incorporate relevant insights into its regional projects.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite all interested parties to register for the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, with early bird rates available until 30 June.

With the title "Connection and Voices: Setting the Sail in 2024," the second edition of the Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter highlighted the promotion of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) to ensure a more inclusive approach in the implementation of all project components. Hear from the voices of community and local partners on the issues confronting the river basins in their respective countries, and the importance of representing the marginalised and more vulnerable sectors in the community. 

Dear PEMSEA community,

Happy Earth Month and welcome to the April 2024 e-Bulletin!

This month, PEMSEA has organized a series of activities to mark Earth Month. Our main focus has been on the sustainable management of the Earth for future generations. The highlight of our events was the EAS Youth Forum 2024, which brought together 19 young leaders from 10 countries in the East Asian Seas region. This forum served as a pre-EAS Congress platform for building knowledge, forging friendships, and solidifying actions to shape the ocean we need for the future we want. Additionally, we held a Marine Plastics Learning Exchange aimed at enhancing local capacity in the Philippines and Timor-Leste. Furthermore, the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) project conducted a regional workshop, bringing representatives from six ASEAN countries to improve the monitoring and measurement of select Southeast Asian priority river basins.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite all interested parties to submit an Expression of Interest in the EAS Congress 2024 before 15 May.

Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the March 2024 e-Bulletin!

Registration is open for interested participants to the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event is being held in collaboration with the Xiamen World Ocean Week (XWOW) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government.

We share a story about one of the areas covered by our IRBM project, the Nam Tha River Basin in Lao PDR, a tributary of the Mekong River. In the lead up to the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, the PEMSEA Executive Committee convened to agree on actions and recommendations for the partnerships to address in the coming months, and we look forward to the first event next month, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024 Youth Forum.

Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the February 2024 e-Bulletin!

Registration is now open for the triennial summit for the seas of East Asia, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event is being held in collaboration with the Xiamen World Ocean Week (XWOW) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China and the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government..

The start of the year has seen progress in PEMSEA’s projects throughout the region. The Timor-Leste National Project Board for marine plastic pollution has had its inaugural meeting. PEMSEA also met with officials in Singapore to discuss ongoing collaboration, and we share progress from our partners, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Cambodia and Preah Sihanouk province, in the sustainable development of the Prek Kampong Smach waterway.

PEMSEA is closely following the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) taking place at this time, as well as developments in external research, such as improved knowledge about the trapping of microplastics in coastal vegetation, the launch of a new satellite that will improve climate modeling, and the slated construction of a new pilot carbon capture plant in Singapore.

Welcoming in a new year for the oceans

Dear PEMSEA community,

Greetings and welcome to the first PEMSEA e-Bulletin in 2024!

As we embark on a new year of collaborative endeavors in sustainable coastal and ocean management, we will continue to provide relevant and critical updates regarding progress towards a more sustainable future within the seas of East Asia.  

Here's to another year of progress, strengthened partnerships, and meaningful impact.

This year sees the convening of our triennial summit for the seas of East Asia, the East Asian Seas Congress 2024. We are busy undertaking preparations for this event, which will take place under the theme "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”. The event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen, China. An early event, the EAS 2024 Youth Forum, will take place in Uljin City, RO Korea, this April.

The new year also brings a revamped appearance for www.pemsea.org, which has been redesigned to better share information about ongoing work in the region. This newsletter also includes further details of our work in Kampong Bay, and our attendance to the 10th International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology.

Outside of PEMSEA, the imperative for concerted action on climate change has become more pressing as 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest year on record. Environmental multilateralism will be similarly indispensable for other global challenges, such as marine plastic pollution. Global aspirations for an international treaty on plastic pollution will be deliberated upon at UNEA-6.

2023 marks the beginning of a breakthrough collaboration among six ASEAN member states (AMS) and development partners in Southeast Asia for the protection and management of select priority river basins that drain into four large marine ecosystems in the Southeast Asian Region, the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand and Indonesian Sea. This year, the Integrated River Basin Management Project saw the project inception and establishment of the governance mechanism at the regional level, including the establishment of the Regional Project Management Unit at PRF and the approval and adoption of the 2023 workplan and budget. The six AMS proceeded in securing approval of the project in line with their respective government policies and procedures and initiated consultations at national and river basin levels to discuss the project’s implementing arrangements. Regional activities were also initiated including the development of State of River Basin Reporting Guidelines, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis, capacity development activities, and knowledge management and communication outreach.

As the 2023 calendar year comes to an end, I would like to thank PEMSEA partners - both country and non-country, the networks of local governments and learning centers, and the PEMSEA Resource Facility staff for their continued hard work and commitment to the East Asian Seas Partnership.

2023 was an eventful year with the first year of fulfilling our shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia 2023-2027. This year also marked the commemoration of PEMSEA's 30th year, with the ICM lecture series and the launch of several major projects and collaborations.

Acting purposefully for the future and serving the Partnerships in what really matters - fostering healthy and resilient coasts, ocean, people and economies, the PEMSEA Resource Facility is fully committed to play its part in creating a fairer and more prosperous world for all. where sustainability and equity are the core of everything we do. Collectively, we can make the right decisions and transformations to pave the way for what's next.

As we anticipate more exciting lineups of collaborative actions and knowledge sharing in the East Asian Seas Congress in collaboration with Xiamen World Ocean Week 2024 in Xiamen, China on 6-8 November 2024, let us take you back to our milestones this year - all made possible through our fruitful collaboration in the region.