YuneOhOcean protection has been gaining political, social, economic and ecological prominence after the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – particularly SDG 14 on life below water.
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) recently organized an Ocean Leadership Roundtable Dialogue at the Peninsula Manila Hotel to map out the prospects and outlook for the coasts and oceans of the East Asian region beyond 2020.
A panel of influential thought leaders in the fields of economics and finance, coastal and ocean governance plus science led the discussions towards developing ambitious and transformative actions to secure the region’s healthy oceans, people and economies.
The experts provided perspectives on relevant political, economic and social trends, while providing a scientific understanding on how to assess the possible impacts and opportunities of the EAS region post-2020.
From left to right are Moderator Reggie Olalia, PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales, DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and Mining Concerns Analiza Rebuelta-Teh and DENR Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Services Corazon Davis. (Gregg Yan)
The speakers included Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, Chair Emeritus of the EAS Partnership Council, Ms. Deborah Robertson, Natural Resources Specialist of the Asian Development Bank and Dr. Laura David, Professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. The ‘EAS Futures Outlook’ roundtable session was facilitated by Dr. Antonio La Viña, PEMSEA Council Chair.
The dialogue was conducted during the 10th East Asian Seas Partnership Meeting, wherein PEMSEA also reflected on its body of work on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
As a collective partnership, PEMSEA was introspective about its role in responding to global and regional trends, and the types of future institutional and partnership arrangements it should enter into. PEMSEA was also contemplating about its continuing focus on scaling up and replicating its Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) approach.
“PEMSEA’s work in scaling up ICM in East Asia and partnerships with national and local governments, international organizations, intergovernmental institutions and other stakeholders were commended as relevant contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14. We aim to advance and align our commitment to the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia with the global ocean agenda,” said Aimee Gonzales, PEMSEA Executive Director.
The Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has likewise supported the implementation of nationwide projects aligned with the UN SDG 14 (Conserve and Sustainably Use the Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources for Sustainable Development).
EAS Congress 2018
EAS Partnership Council Chair Emeritus Dr. Chua Thia-Eng talks about the best possible ways to develop ambitious and transformative actions to protect East Asia’s oceans, people and economies. (Gregg Yan)
Discussions during the Ocean Leadership Roundtable session will serve as a lead up to a four-day East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress that will be held on November 27 to 30 in Iloilo City. Themed “25 years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda,” the EAS Congress is expected to draw some 1000 participants from here and abroad. It aims to build on existing partnerships and achievements and promote new initiatives, investments and partnerships to accelerate the achievement of national, regional and global targets for the sustainable development of oceans and coasts.
PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales, DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and Mining Concerns Analiza Rebuelta-Teh and DENR Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Services Corazon Davis were on hand to answer questions from the media as part of promotional efforts for the EAS Congress.
For more information, visit http://eascongress2018.pemsea.org.
Story courtesy of PEMSEA.
