A key component of the PEMSEA regional mechanism is the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council. Comprised of all Country and Non-Country Partners, it formulates programme and operational policy in support of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), in accordance to the direction, recommendations and commitments provided by the Ministerial Forum, the EAS Congress and other Partners.
The EAS Partnership Council features two constituents of governance – the Intergovernmental and Technical Sessions.
Intergovernmental Session
PEMSEA member countries make up the Intergovernmental Session. Primarily, it provides policy guidance, reviews and work programmes, approves budgetary allocations and monitors progress, outcomes and impacts of SDS-SEA implementation. The Intergovernmental Session is headed by a Chair elected from among the participating countries.
The Intergovernmental Session is composed of the duly designated representatives of the Partner countries of the Seas of East Asia region. It may formulate guidelines concerning the participation of other Partners in the Session, as it deems appropriate. It considers the recommendations of the Technical Session and provides policy guidance, coordination and evaluation of the progress of the SDS-SEA implementation.
Technical Session
The Technical Session is composed of all member governments and stakeholder partners. It receives technical and scientific reports from the Partners, identifies and evaluates projects and work programmes, provides technical advice and information, and promotes partnership interactions on topics of common interest. All members of the Council elect the Technical Session Chair.
The EAS Partnership Council elects an Executive Committee to guide and oversee the implementation of recommendations and decisions of Council intersessionally.