The Fifth (5th) East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council Meeting was held at the Diamond Hotel, Manila, Philippines, on 9–11 July 2013. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines hosted the Meeting. The Meeting was attended by representatives from 9 Country Partners, 12 Non-Country Partners, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and observers from Thailand, IPIECA and University of Queensland. The Council focused on the following major issues: (a) transformation of PEMSEA; (b) collaborative planning among Country and Non-Country Partners and other organizations for SDS-SEA implementation; (c) updating of the SDS-SEA and its strategic targets and implementation plan; and (d) EAS Congress and Ministerial Forum 2015. Overall, the Council emphasized the need for strengthened engagement and ownership by both Country and Non-Country Partners to ensure the success of transforming PEMSEA into a self-sustaining regional organization for SDS-SEA implementation. This publication summarizes the proceedings of the meeting.

The Twelfth (12th) Executive Committee Meeting was held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Manila, Philippines, on 3 and 4 April 2013. This publication summarizes the output of the meeting. The meeting focused on key issues pertaining to the following: strengthening the regional ownership of PEMSEA; implementation of the PRF Re-Engineering Plan; implementation of the 5-Year Regional SDS-SEA Implementation Plan; election of a new set of Partnership Council Officers and Co-Chairs; status of PEMSEA’s Trust Fund; status of GEF Evaluation Office impact evaluation report on South China Sea project and adjacent seas, among others.

The Eleventh (11th) Executive Committee Meeting was held at the Hubei Hotel, Beijing, China on 27 and 28 October 2012. This publication summarizes the output of the meeting. The meeting delved on critical issues pertaining to: PEMSEA's transformation into a sustainable operating mechanism; strengthening the leadership and ownership of PEMSEA; and ensuring PEMSEA’s continuity. In general, the Meeting underscored that PEMSEA’s sustainability depends highly on the continued strengthening of the partnership and ownership of PEMSEA by the Countries who are the major stakeholders in the region, as well as by the Non-Country Partners, collaborators, and donors/sponsors that play a crucial role in meeting the objectives of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).

The Special East Asian Seas Partnership Council Meeting was held at the Amoris A, Pullman Hotel, Changwon City, Republic of Korea, on 11 July 2012. The City Government of Changwon and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) of RO Korea hosted the Meeting.

The Meeting was attended by the members of the Executive Committee. Representatives from nine (9) PEMSEA Country Partners were in attendance, namely: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. A representative from Thailand was present as an observer. Representatives from 14 Non-Country Partners were in attendance, namely: ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); Coastal Management Center (CMC); International EMECS Center; International Ocean Institute (IOI); Korea Maritime Institute (KMI); Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI)1; Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP); Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF); Oil Spill Response Ltd. (OSRL); PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG); Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML); GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP); United Nations Environment Programme Global Programme of Action (UNEP GPA); and Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME).

Representatives from the UNDP Manila and UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok were present on behalf of the implementing agency. Representative from the GEF was present on behalf of the funding agency. A representative from the World Bank was present as a sponsoring agency. Representatives from Bogor Agricultural University; Sulu Celebes Sea Sustainable Fisheries Management; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission served as observers. The PEMSEA Resource Facility served as the Secretariat for the Meeting.

The Tenth (10th) Executive Committee Meeting was held at the Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center, on 20 April 2012 and at the PEMSEA Resource Facility, Manila, Philippines, on 21 April 2012. The Meeting was attended by the EAS Partnership Council Chair, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng; Technical Session Chair, Mr. Hiroshi Terashima; Council Co-Chair Ambassador Mary Seet-Cheng; Intergovernmental Session Co-Chair Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh; and Technical Session Co-Chair Prof. Chul-Hwan Koh. A representative from the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF) of Japan participated as an observer. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the meeting.