This publication presents the summary of the Proceedings of the International Conference on Challenges and Opportunities in Managing Pollution in the East Asian Seas, held at the Manila Diamond Hotel, Philippines, from 22-24 March 1999. It presents the experiences, lessons learned and achievements of the Regional Programme and those of other national/regional/international initiatives in the abatement and management of marine pollution with special reference to the East Asian Seas region. It discusses the working models and innovate management mechanism developed for wider replication and extension. It contains around 50 papers presented in five sessions including Integrated Management of Marine Pollution, Environmental Investments, International Conventions, Application of Science and Technology, and Stakeholders Participation.

This publication summarizes the results of the Second Technical Workshop of the Regional Network for Marine Pollution and Information Management, held on 9-10 November 1997 at the Burapha University, Bangsaen, Chonburi, Thailand. The workshop was attended by 23 representatives from nine East Asian country, and the IMO Programme Development and Management Office, Manila. The objectives of the workshop were (1) to follow through the first workshop of the MPMIM network held on May 1996; (2) to enable participants from various countries in the region to share experiences on marine pollution monitoring as applied to ICM and related sites; (3) to discuss the strategies and mechanisms used to develop, initiate and sustain marine pollution monitoring programs at ICM sites and the problems encountered; and (4) to examine the purposes and benefits of the marine pollution monitoring and information management network, the types of and the requirements for membership and the mechanisms to operate the network. The workshop was facilitated by the Network Coordinator and staff of the IMO Programme Development and Management Office.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Directorate General Sea Communication (DGSC) of Indonesia jointly implemented a National Workshop on Implementation of MARPOL 73/78: Cost-Effective Shore Reception Facilities, from 14 to 15 January 1998. The workshop was held at the Millennium Sirih Hotel, Jakarta. Financial support for the workshop was provided by the Government of Norway. More than 70 participants from the public and private sectors of Indonesia attended. The workshop was co-chaired by Captain Henky Lumentah, DGSC, and Mr. Adrian Ross, IMO Manila.

The Regional Workshop on Partnerships in the Application of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) was held in Burapha University, Bangsaen, Chonburi, Thailand, from 12 to 14 November 1997. The workshop extended the experience gained and lessons learned from integrated coastal management (ICM) demonstration projects in Batangas Bay, Philippines and Xiamen, People’s Republic of China, promoted regional networking of local governments operating ICM programs, and fostered partnerships among organizations implementing ICM programs.

The workshop was organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/International Maritime Organization (IMO) Regional Programme for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas (MPP-EAS), based in the Philippines, in collaboration with Burapha University. The meeting was sponsored by the MPP-EAS. About eight local governments, local institutions and government agencies co-hosted the workshop. The workshop was attended by around 120 participants and observers from the East Asian Seas Region including Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, consisting primarily of government officials, university professors and individuals from the private sector. There were also representatives from the Wetlands International Asia-Pacific; IUCN (the World Conservation Union); the International Oceanographic Commission; the Food and Agriculture Organization; and coastal resource management projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea and Thailand.

The National Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of MARPOL 73/78 (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as Modified by the Protocol of 1978 Relating Thereto) in the Philippines was held at Club Estancia Resort Hotel, Tagaytay City, Philippines, from 9 to 10 June 1997. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through the Regional Programme for the Management and Prevention of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas (MPP-EAS) organized the workshop with the cooperation of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). There were 27 representatives from the national agencies and industry sectors in attendance.

The Batangas Bay Demonstration Project (BBDP) Evaluation Workshop on Assessing Results and Impacts was held at Alpha Hotel, Batangas City on 24-25 July 1997. This was attended by delegates from national governments offices, local government units, academic institutions, private sectors and non-government organizations. The main objective of the workshop is to review the project activities, evaluate their results, assess their impacts and make recommendations on measures for improvement and extension of demonstrable experience. The workshop is also expected to provide an assessment on the performance of all the project activities both individually and as a whole. The workshop was organized by the Global Environment Facility/United Nations Development Programme/ International Maritime Organization Regional Programme for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas (MPP-EAS) and the Provincial Government of Batangas – Environment and Natural Resources Office (PG-ENRO).

The GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas conducted a national workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of MARPOL 73/78 Convention in the Philippines on 9-10 June 1997. A National Action Plan was developed by the workshop participants who represented the major stakeholders in the Philippine maritime industry. The National Action Plan specifically identified issues and proposed actions to be undertaken by concerned agencies in the ratification and implementation of the MARPOL 73/78 Convention. One of the action items considered as a priority was establishing baseline data on the status of compliance of the Philippine domestic fleet with MARPOL. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was identified as the lead agency for the study. The study revealed that the majority of the domestic merchant fleet have complied with the basic equipment requirements of Annex I. However, with the MARPOL 1992 amendments, which will enter into force on 6 July 1998, the reduced oil content for discharges from machinery spaces to less that 15 ppm will result in a large number of domestic vessels being out of compliance. The study also noted that shore reception facilities were a vital component of the compliance requirements of MARPOL.