The 2018 PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG) Forum was held at Andana Resort, Guimaras Province, Philippines on 29 November 2018. The Provincial Government of Guimaras hosted the forum.

The Forum was attended by representatives from PNLG members from Cambodia (Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, and Preah Sihanouk); Indonesia (Bali, Bontang, Sukabumi and Tangerang); Malaysia (Northern Selangor, Port Klang, and Sepang); PR China (Fangchenggang, Jinjiang, Pingtan, Sanya and Xiamen); Philippines (Bataan, Batangas, Cavite, and Guimaras); RO Korea (Ansan, Shihwa and Changwon); Thailand (Chonburi); Timor-Leste (Dili, Liquiçá, and Manatuto); and Vietnam (Danang and Quang Nam).

Representatives from various local governments and institutions participated as observers, including Lao PDR (Champasak, Saravanne and Sekong); Philippines (Oriental Mindoro and Romblon); and Thailand (Trat, Chanthaburi and Rayong).

PEMSEA organized and conducted a regional training workshop on risk and vulnerability assessment (VA) from March 4 to 5, 2019. The main purpose of this workshop was to introduce the Coastal VA tools that were locally developed that the participants may consider in conducting VA on target sites for each member country. A total of nineteen (19) participants consisting of representatives from ICM learning centers in Indonesia, Thailand and Timor Leste, as well as representatives from the Local Governments Units (LGUs) of Pampanga, Bataan, Cavite, Oriental Mindoro, and Guimaras attended this workshop. Three VA tools were presented by speakers from the Marine Science Institute: (a) CIVAT (Coastal Integrity Vulnerability Assessment Tool), (b) TURF (Tools for Understanding the Resilience of Fisheries), and (c) ICSEA Change (Integrated Coastal Sensitivity, Exposure and Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change). These tools have incorporated bio-physical attributes that are unique to tropical ecosystems such as the importance of coastal habitats for maintaining coastal integrity and the dependence on reef fisheries. This suite of Coastal VA tools was developed to assess the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to climate change. Specifically, these tools aim to evaluate biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal integrity based on various factors of Sensitivity, Exposure, and Adaptive Capacity. They are semiquantitative, incorporating a degree of technicality with ease of use.

The 2nd Ocean Leadership Roundtable with the special theme of ‘Future Outlook of the East Asian Seas’ was organized as a special event at the Partnership Council Meeting on 26 July 2018 at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, Philippines. The Roundtable was convened by PEMSEA with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Philippines.

The Roundtable was chaired by Dr. Antonio La Viña, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council. Delegates from the 10th EAS Partnership Council Meeting comprising of eight countries (China, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) and representatives from nine Non-Country Partners, namely ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); Conservation International (CI) Philippines; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM); Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST); Ocean Policy Research Institute Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI,SPF); Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL); Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML); and PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG), together with the members of the PEMSEA Executive Committee participated in the roundtable. Representatives from the Philippine media were also present during the Roundtable. PEMSEA Resource Facility served as Secretariat.

The resource persons for the Roundtable were: Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, EAS Partnership Council Chair Emeritus; Dr. Laura David, Professor, UP Marine Science Institute and; Ms. Deborah Robertson, Natural Resources Specialist, Pacific Department, Asian Development Bank.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
OLR/18/DOC/01             Science, Research and Development Outlook – Dr. Laura David, UP Marine Science Institute
OLR/18/DOC/02             Economic and Development Outlook – Ms. Deborah Robertson, Asian Development Bank
OLR/18/DOC/03             Ocean Governance: Past, Present and Future – Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, EAS Partnership Council, PEMSEA
OLR/18/DOC/04             PEMSEA Post-2020 Framework – Ms. Aimee Gonzales, PEMSEA
 

The Sixth Ministerial Forum was held at Courtyard by Marriott, Iloilo City, Philippines on 29 November 2018. Carrying the theme, “25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda”, the Sixth Ministerial Forum was hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. Present in the forum were 11 Ministers and heads of delegations from the East Asian Countries, and about 50 observers from among the PEMSEA Non-Country Partners, together with members of PEMSEA’s East Asian Seas Partnership Council Executive Committee, representatives from PEMSEA’s sponsoring agencies, the GEF and UNDP, and some PEMSEA collaborators.

The highlights of the Sixth Ministerial Forum, included:
The presentation of the key results of the Regional and National State of Oceans and Coasts (SOC) reports on Blue Economy;
Delivery of individual country statements highlighting countries’ outlook, plans and initiatives related to the implementation of the SDS-SEA in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and
The signing of the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration on East Asian Region Moving as One for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies.
The Regional and National SOC Reports are key outputs of the PEMSEA member countries that looked into the countries’ ocean economy, ocean industries, valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services, risks and pressures on oceans in the region, and examples of blue economy initiatives. The reports aim to provide the baseline for future assessments. Initial estimates show that the SOC provides a comprehensive approach to evaluate the contribution of oceans and coasts, impacts of human activity on the ocean, as well as monitor progress towards the SDGs, SDS-SEA, and other international agreements through the blue economy and ocean governance initiatives. Based on the reports, the oceans serve as an important source of income and jobs for countries in the EAS region, with significant share in countries’ GDP. While ocean’s ecosystem services are still not much valued in most countries, available information showed ocean as a natural capital represents 50-55% of ocean economy across the region. It is hoped that the SOC can be utilized as an important tool to advance scientific support, raise public awareness, promote good governance and partnerships for blue economy, and foster the development of synergies among the various sectors and stakeholders.

The Forum culminated with the signing of the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration on East Asian Region Moving as One for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies. The Declaration reaffirmed the countries’ ommitment to the SDS-SEA, and in particular to achieving the remaining targets from the Da Nang Compact, regular updating of SOC reports, reducing or preventing marine pollution of all kinds, promotion of sustainable coastal tourism programs, support development of blue economy investment projects, and support operations of PRF as coordinating mechanism for SDS-SEA implementation through voluntary contributions beyond 2019.

This declaration was written and agreed upon by the delegates of the Fifth EAS Youth Forum, held in Iloilo City, Philippines, from 26-30 November 2018.

It was presented by the PEMSEA Network of Young Leaders (PNYL) Captain John Carl Alonsagay during the closing ceremony of the EAS Congress 2018.

TRANSLATIONS      DOCUMENT TITLE
中文                        2018 东亚青年“海洋与气候可持续行动”宣言
 

Toolkit used by delegates at the Fifth EAS Youth Forum, which took place at the EAS Congress 2018.

The Sixth Senior Government Officials’ Meeting (SGOM) was held at the VIP Room, Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, Philippines on 28 November 2018. Senior Government Officials from 11 PEMSEA Country Partners participated in the meeting, namely: Cambodia, PR China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting. The Meeting agreed to adopt the Iloilo Ministerial Declaration as revised by the Meeting, for submission to the Sixth Ministerial Forum for final signature.