The “Regional Conference on
Parliamentary Roles in Protection of Marine Environment and Sustainable Use of
Marine Resources in the Yellow Sea” was organized in Qingdao, China, 28-30 March
2006, as one of the public awareness activities of the Yellow Sea Project.
This Conference, the first meeting of its kind under GEF projects, provided a
forum where parliamentary members gathered to discuss marine environmental
issues, and aimed to enhance the participation of a major stakeholder—the
parliament—in the activities to protect the marine ecosystem and promote the
sustainable use of marine and coastal resources.
Forty one participants from both China and Republic of Korea attended the
meeting, including fourteen members from the parliamentary organizations.
The parliamentary members as well as the regional experts made presentations on
the environmental status, the needs and requirements for environmental
protection, the legislative consideration of marine environmental protection,
and the economic consideration of conserving marine resources. Panel discussions
were conducted to address the active involvement of stakeholders such as NGOs,
industries, and local communities in conservation activities.
As a result of the Conference, the participating parliamentary members deepened
their understanding of the serious environmental degradation in the Yellow Sea
and recognised the strong need for taking action to address the problem. The
members also acknowledged that it is necessary to further strengthen closer
co-operation between the parliaments in China and Republic of Korea, and that
regular meetings would help in achieving this objective. The parliamentary
members agreed that the next conference will be organised in Korea, with the PMO
continuing its role as meeting secretariat.
