“Water Resources Protection, Utilization and Management”

Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 19-21 November 2008

A. INTRODUCTION

1.1. The 2008 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) forum was held at Sokha Hotel, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, from 19-21 November 2008. It was the seventh of a series of forum conducted since the network was launched in 2001 in RO Korea. The 2008 PNLG Forum was hosted by the Municipal Government of Sihanoukville and focused on the theme “Water Resources Protection, Utilization and Management”.

1.2. The forum aimed to a) share good practices and lessons learned in water resources protection, utilization and management; b) discuss strategies on strengthening water governance and capacity, and b) identify strategies for sustaining the network and expanding its role to support local ICM implementation and scaling up.

1.3. The forum was jointly organized by the Municipal Government of Sihanoukville, PEMSEA and the PNLG Secretariat. Eight local business enterprises provided in-kind contribution for the organization of the forum.

1.4. Twenty two local governments from 9 countries across the region participated in the forum in addition to regional experts/resource speakers from the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Southeast Asia Secretariat, Phnom Penh Water Suppy Authority (PPWSA), Macao Water Supply Co., Ltd., Marine Environmental Research and Innovative Technology (MERIT) of the City University of Hong Kong, Coastal and Ocean Management Instiute (COMI) of Xiamen University and Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response Ltd. (OSRL EARL).

1.5. Representatives from international and national agencies in Cambodia as well as from the academe also participated in the forum.

1.6. The forum was divided into 3 major parts: the opening ceremony, the general assembly meeting and the technical workshop. The forum was concluded by a field trip to key areas in Sihanoukville.

1.7. The meeting agenda and full list of participants is attached as Annex 1 and 2.

The National Workshop for Local Governments Implementing ICM in China aimed to provide a venue for the ICM parallel sites in China: (a) to share their progress, plans and needs for ICM program development and implementation and environmental investments; and (b) to learn about the experiences, tools and approaches for capacity development, institutional arrangements, monitoring and environmental investments of other partners. The workshop was held at the Xiamen Golden Sands Gulf Hotel, Xiamen, PR China, from 10-11 November 2008. The workshop was co-organized by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of China, the Municipal Government of Xiamen and PEMSEA.

This issue of Tropical Coasts highlights how a gathering of local government executives bounded by the common mission of "serving as a network of local governments in East Asia, which, along with their stakeholders, shall promote the application of ICM as an effective management framework to achieve sustainable coastal development," can become an indispensable mechanism for knowledge validation, transfer and replication. The 2007 Forum of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG)* held in Danang, Vietnam, on 5–7 September 2007 focused on the theme "Addressing Coastal Security by Investing in Natural and Man-made Hazards Prevention and Management." The forum provided a venue for facilitating the exchange of information and experiences in DRR among local governments, national agencies, partner organizations, civil society groups and the private sector. It also provided a platform for the ICM sites to discuss how institutional strengthening in the context of DRR can be achieved and identify innovative solutions and opportunities to implement DRR options based on specific risk context and circumstances of the respective sites.

The Third Twinning Workshop on Ecosystem-based Management of Interrelated River Basins, Estuaries and Coastal Seas was held at the New World Astor Hotel, Tianjin, PR China, from 17 to 19 October 2007. The State Oceanic Administration of PR China hosted the Workshop. The theme of the Workshop was “Policy Reform, Sustainable Financing and Investment for Pollution Reduction in the East Asian Seas.” It aimed to help participants formulate and implement innovative policies and programs targeting sustainable financing and investment for pollution reduction. The Workshop included participants from Cambodia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Vietnam and the USA.