The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress plays a vital role as an intellectual marketplace to convene partners, collaborators, and stakeholders within and outside East Asia in sharing knowledge and experiences, in discussing trends, challenges and developments, in building stronger partnerships, and in charting future and sustainable plans for ocean governance in the region.
During its 5th cycle in November 2015, Ministers and Senior Government officials from PEMSEA’s 11 Country Partners responded to the global commitment on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by reaffirming their commitment continue scaling up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) through the signing the Danang Compact, and by adopting the region’s post-2015 Strategic Targets to serve as key indicators of progress in the implementation of the strategy over the next 5 years.
PEMSEA, in close coordination with its Country and Non-Country Partners as well as collaborators, carried out efforts to meet the post-2015 targets with particular focus on increasing the coastal coverage of the region under integrated coastal management (ICM), establishment of the regional State of Oceans and Coasts reporting system, developing and implementing coastal and ocean policies, and establishing PEMSEA as a self-sustaining entity mandated to implement the SDS-SEA.
This year’s EAS Congress marks an important milestone as we do not only celebrate our work on ocean governance for the past 25 years, but it also marks a new phase for the region. Anchored on our commitment to the UN SDG 14: Life below water, the EAS region under the PEMSEA partnership aims to further strengthen its efforts on ocean-based blue economy that is geared towards more strategic and impactful actions at the local, national, regional and even international level.
On behalf of the EAS Partnership Council, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, for their unwavering support towards PEMSEA and for hosting the East Asian Seas Congress 2018.
I look forward to your valuable participation and contribution to the EAS Congress 2018!