Sixty young leaders from nine countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam) in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region participated in, and contributed to the Da Nang Youth Declaration: Charting the Future We Want. Based on our experiences in the 4th EAS Youth Forum and participation in the EAS Congress international conference, we provide this Declaration and roadmap for action.

Session 1:

A Decade of Partnerships in Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia:

Synergies and Achievements

Workshop 1:

Managing Risks in Climate Change and Disasters in the Seas of East Asia

17‐18 November 2015

Co‐convening Agencies:

Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM) and

Korea Environment Institute (KEI)

Chair:

Mr. N.M.S.I. Arambepola, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)

Co‐chairs:

Dr. Chang Man, KOEM

Dr. Park Kwang Kook, KEI

The Special Partnership Council Meeting was held at Ocean Ballroom of Furama Resort Hotel, Da Nang, Viet Nam on November 18, 2015. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Viet Nam hosted the event, which was attended by representatives from 11 Country Partners and 16 Non‐Country Partners. Representatives from the UNDP, UNEP, the GEF, the World Bank, CBD Secretariat, WorldFish, GIZ, and several universities also participated in the meeting.

The participants were welcomed by Ambassador Mary Seet‐Cheng, Chair of EAS Partnership Council, Mr. Chu Pham Ngoc Hien, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment of Vietnam and Mr. Stephen Adrian Ross, Executive Director of PEMSEA. Dr. Chua Thai‐Eng, Chair Emeritus of the EAS Partnership Council, delivered a keynote on legacies of PEMSEA and future directions. The meeting witnessed the partnership development of PEMSEA with signing of agreements with Burapha University (Thailand), Prince of Songkla University (Thailand), National University of Timor‐Leste, Oriental University of Timor‐Leste and Ocean College of Zhejiang University (China) to become PEMSEA ICM Learning Centres. PEMSEA also signed an MOU with DPR Korea to expand ICM programs in the country. UNDP, the GEF, OPRI‐SPF, the World Bank, CBD Secretariat, ACB and WorldFish made statements on the accomplishments of PEMSEA,  opportunities of the organizational development and future areas of collaboration under the framework of the SDS‐SEA 2015.

The Fourth East Asian Seas Youth Forum (YF4) was one of the special events of the EAS Congress 2015, which was held from 16‐21 November 2015 in Da Nang City, Viet Nam. The EAS Congress and the Youth Forum were co‐organized by the Government of Viet Nam through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI), City Government of Da Nang and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).

Carrying the theme, “Charting the Future We Want: Engaging Young Champions for the Ocean Beyond 2015,” the YF4 gathered young leaders from the region to showcase their initiatives contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, as well as enhance their skills and strengthen their role in the sustainable development of the oceans and coasts.

The six Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) and subregional seas of East Asian region are experiencing physical, ecological and socioeconomic changes associated with infrastructure development, urbanization, extreme climate events, land and sea based activities, and population increase. International cooperation at regional and LME levels has facilitated in many ways collaborative responses among countries to the challenges and uncertainties with countries’ adoption of ocean policies and measures in alignment with the regional action programs such as the strategic action programme (SAP) and regional sustainable development strategy.

What are the drivers that have shaped the regional coast and ocean governance? What achievements and impact have these regional governance mechanisms made in addressing overfishing, eutrophication, loss of coastal and marine biodiversity and other transboundary issues in the last decade? What are the gaps in our understanding of the coasts and oceans? What are the innovative implementation and governance mechanisms for SAPs and the regional strategy? What should the collaborating countries do in terms of policy and regulatory framework and institutional arrangements to make these regional mechanisms and initiatives work more effectively? This workshop is designed to facilitate regional and national initiatives to respond to the ocean agenda enshrined in the Future We Want at Rio+20 and SDGs.

At the EAS Congress 2012, ministers from 10 countries in the region signed the Changwon Declaration, calling for an increased focus on developing a blue economy in the region. PEMSEA recognized that the concept of blue economy lacked definition, particularly for the private sector, and set out to conduct research on the topic, including companies from several industries. PEMSEA launched a new report at the Congress on Blue Economy for Business in East Asia (available at http://www.pemsea.org/our-work/blue-economy). The report describes the importance of coastal and marine ecosystem services to the economies of East Asia (up to 20% of GDP for some countries in the region), and the impact on business from continuing degradation of ecosystems (business value related to these risks could be as high as 25‐70% of earnings). The concept of blue economy has been evolving, primarily with governments and intergovernmental organizations, but with increasing interest from the private sector. The report defines blue economy as “the set of environmentally and socially sustainable commercial activities, products, services and investments dependent on and impacting coastal and marine resources”.

This workshop looked into the different ecosystem valuation and coastal use zoning frameworks and methodologies, as well as their linkages and applications at the local level. The workshop brought together more than 100 practitioners, researchers, policymakers, local stakeholders and communities.

A total of 12 case studies from China, Indonesia, RO Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as regional and international organizations and projects, were presented. The case studies outlined the experiences in the use of tools and methodologies on valuation and zoning and their application to management of specific habitats and resources, such as seagrass, coral reefs, mangroves, fisheries and tourism, as well as their application in addressing various problems including coastal reclamation and habitat exploitation. Three panel discussants from the PEMSEA ICM Learning Centers and university partners identified areas where such tools and experiences can be scaled up in their respective sites/countries, as part of the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA regional initiative on Scaling up the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS‐SEA).

This roundtable brought together members of the investment community and others working to develop models and approaches for scaling up sustainable development of shared coasts and oceans. Topics covered included models in marine sustainable development and emerging opportunities in sustainable coastal development. The roundtable generated the following recommendations:

• Further test the platform with investors and project developers, for example, by engaging with other World Bank‐funded project to pilot beta version of the platform.
• Develop a portfolio of service providers and funding options for moving projects from concept to feasibility, based in real business rigor as a foundation for long‐term sustainability.
• As part of platform design, consider ways that the platform can facilitate investment in small and medium enterprises in particular.
• Develop in‐person meetings, forums and other services for project developers and investors to complement the online platform.
• Explore opportunities for supporting local governments in establishing an enabling environment for investment.
• Engage PEMSEA’s networks, in identifying good quality potential investment projects.
   

The Training Program on Marine Ecosystem Valuation and Spatial Management Tools was attended by over 40 participants from various countries including Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, RO Korea, Thailand, Timor‐Leste, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Indonesia and. The special pre‐congress event brought together academia, government and practitioners to encourage the wider application of tools and methodologies in other sites and countries in the East Asian region and globally.