PEMSEA holds dialogue on future of East Asian seas

OCEAN 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 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 toward developing ambitious and transformative actions to secure the region’s healthy oceans, people and economies. The speakers included Chua Thia-Eng, chair emeritus of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council; Deborah Robertson, natural resources specialist at the Asian Development Bank; and Laura David, professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. The “EAS Futures Outlook” round table session was facilitated by Antonio La Viña, PEMSEA Council chair.

The dialogue was conducted during the 10th EAS Partnership Meeting, in which PEMSEA also reflected on its body of work on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. 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. It was also contemplating 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, executive director of PEMSEA.