TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 2
The coastal city of Xiamen
was one of PEMSEA's early
pilot sites.
F
rom its humble beginnings as a marine pollution
demonstration project in 1993 to its current status
as a leading international organization promoting
the sustainable development of the East Asian Seas
region’s oceans and coasts, PEMSEA (Partnerships in
Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia)
is celebrating its 25th year which will culminate at the
2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress scheduled on
November 27-30, in the Philippines.
In line with PEMSEA’s core principles, the EAS
Congress 2018 is designed to showcase and celebrate collaborative and
to usher in concrete and
impactful regional actions
that are strategically
aligned with the key
principles and targets
of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals
(SDGs) particularly the
global ocean agenda,” said
Aimee Gonzales, PEMSEA
Executive Director.
When PEMSEA’s first
phase was launched
in 1993, ICM pilot sites
were set up in Xiamen,
PR China and Batangas
Bay, Philippines. The
pilot project, covering
around 286 kilometers
of coastline, was primarily aimed at preventing and managing marine
pollution. Twenty five years later, PEMSEA’s geographical and functional
scope has expanded significantly covering coastal and ocean governance,
and specialized issue areas such as habitat protection and restoration,
climate change and disaster risk reduction, water use, pollution reduction,
sustainable livelihoods, blue economy, etc. In terms of ICM coverage,
PEMSEA now implements ICM initiatives in dozens of sites across East Asia,
covering more than 40,000 kilometers of coastline and benefitting tens of
millions of people living in coastal and watershed areas.
A number of these best practices, lessons learned, and innovations
in coastal and ocean development is expected to be showcased at the
PEMSEA
marks 25th
year with
launch of
2018 East
Asian Seas
Congress
partnership initiatives at the local, national, regional and international
level. In particular, the Congress seeks to mark 25 years of partnership,
learning, innovation and transformational change, featuring initiatives
from among PEMSEA Country and Non-Country partners and various
collaborators, under whose collaborative efforts a wealth of knowledge
and experience has contributed to delivering strategic solutions to the
needs of the region, as well as in scaling up sustainable development and
integrated coastal management (ICM) initiatives.
“The EAS Congress 2018 marks an important milestone for the entire
East Asian countries and partners who make up PEMSEA. Building on
our 25 years of experience and through the EAS Congress 2018, we aim
Through the ICM program, Xiamen
stakeholders have successfully
developed a coordinating mechanism
for coastal and marine management,
established a legislation framework,
implemented functional sea-use
zonation and strengthened integrated
enforcement for marine management.
EAS Congress 2018 through various partner-led sessions and keynote
presentations from eminent experts from within and outside the East
Asian seas region.
The 2018 EAS Congress is hosted by the Government of the Philippines,
with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP). www.pemsea.org
To register, convene sessions, or serve as Congress sponsor, contact the
EAS Secretariat by email:[email protected]. or visit www.
pemsea.org for more details.
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