The East Asian Seas Partnership Council Meeting will hold its second meeting on
14–17 July 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The Meeting is being organized by the PEMSEA
Resource Facility and is co-organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (MLIT) with the support of the Ocean Policy Research
Foundation (OPRF) of Japan.
The 2nd EAS Partnership Council Meeting will discuss important matters
pertaining to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the
Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). In particular, the Meeting will delve into a number
of key issues, including the establishment of a long-term, sustainable regional
mechanism for SDS-SEA implementation, the start-up of the GEF/UNDP/UNOPS/PEMSEA
project on the Implementation of the SDS-SEA as well as other related
subregional transboundary initiatives, the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2009
and the Third Ministerial Forum. At this meeting, the new Regional Programme
Director/PRF Executive Director Raphael P. M. Lotilla will be formally
introduced to the Partners.
The Government of Japan is also organizing a Joint Seminar with PEMSEA on
“Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in the Seas of East Asia: Progress and
Impacts” on 18 July 2008, with the assistance of the OPRF. The Seminar features
some activities/examples of coastal management in Japan and in some PEMSEA ICM
sites.
The PRF expects that the Meeting will lay firm foundation for PEMSEA’s future
direction and in the preparation of the EAS Congress 2009, which will be held in
November 2009 in Manila, Philippines. The PRF also expects that collaboration
among PEMSEA Partners, especially with Japan will be further enhanced through
the Partnership Council Meeting and the Joint Seminar.
About the EAS Partnership Council
The EAS Partnership Council is one of the four components of PEMSEA. Its main
task is to provide policy and operational guidance for, as well as steer,
monitor and review the progress of SDS-SEA implementation. The Council is
composed of the 11 State Partners (Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan,
Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Vietnam) and 16
non-State Partners (Conservation International Philippines, Coastal Management
Center, GEF/Small Grants Programme, IOC/WESTPAC, International Ocean Institute,
Korea Environment Institute, Korea Maritime Institute, Korea Ocean Research and
Development Institute, Northwest Pacific Action Plan, Ocean Policy Research
Foundation of Japan, Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response Limited, Plymouth
Marine Laboratory, Swedish Environment Secretariat for Asia, UNEP/GPA, UNDP/GEF
Yellow Sea Project, International Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal
Seas Center).
The Executive Committee of the Council is composed of Dr. Chua Thia-Eng (Council
Chair); Dr. Li Haiqing (Intergovernmental Session Chair); and Mr. Hiroshi
Terashima (Technical Session Chair). The Executive Director of the PEMSEA
Resource Facility, Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, serves as Secretary of the
Executive Committee.
About PEMSEA
PEMSEA was first established in 1993 as the Regional Programme on the Prevention
and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas. In 1999, it entered
its second phase as the Regional Programme on Partnerships in Environmental
Management for the Seas of East Asia. PEMSEA was transformed from a
project-based initiative into a regional coordinating mechanism for the
implementation of the SDS-SEA in December 2006. Participating countries of
PEMSEA are Cambodia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, People’s Republic of China, Philippines,
Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
The objective of PEMSEA is to coordinate and support the efforts of
participating governments and non-state partners to develop and manage the
coastal and marine environment and resources of the Seas of East Asia in a
sustainable manner in accordance with the Sustainable Development Strategy for
the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). The SDS-SEA was adapted by participating
countries in 2003, as their common framework for managing marine and coastal
resources sustainably, as well as a platform for intergovernmental and
multisectoral cooperation. PEMSEA receives financial support from the Global
Environment Facility through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as the executing
agency.