PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024
PUBLICATION DATE:
Monday, September 30, 2024
PUBLICATION TYPE:
Magazines and Newsletters
STATUS:
Available (Newsletter)
DESCRIPTION:
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the September e-bulletin!
With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.
As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.
This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.
Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.
While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.
From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.
In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September 2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
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MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project Second Regional Steering Committee Meeting
The Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meeting is the main decision making body of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Project entitled “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” comprised of the donor: the Government of Republic of Korea represented by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), and the participating countries: the Philippines, represented by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DENR) and Timor-Leste, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTE) and Ministry of State Administration (MSA). The Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU) of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) serves as the Secretariat to the RSC.
The RSC meets at least once a year to report on the progress of the project, sets its strategic directions and guidance and approves work plan and budget for the following year’s project activities. The inaugural RSC meeting in 2023 was chaired by the Government of the Philippines, represented by H.E. Undersecretary Jonas Leones of the DENR. This year, the 2nd RSC meeting was chaired by the Government of Timor-Leste, as represented by the Advisor to the Secretary of State for Fisheries, MALFF, Mr. Aleixo Leonito Amaral.
The 2nd RSC Meeting was held on 17 December 2024 via hybrid format at Radisson Park Inn, Quezon City and Zoom.
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MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project Intersessional Regional Steering Committee Meeting
The Intersessional Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting of the MOF/PEMSEA ODA Project on Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region was held on 17 September 2025 via Zoom, in line with the agreements made during the 2nd RSC Meeting in December 2024. The primary objective of this session was to review and endorse the detailed designs of pilot projects in the six Philippine project sites: Bulan, Calbayog, Daanbantayan, Dipolog, Puerto Princesa, and Tandag.
These pilot projects form part of Component 2 of the ODA Project, which focuses on demonstrating best practices and locally adapted solutions for marine plastics reduction. Designed to respond directly to site-specific challenges identified during the baseline assessments, the pilot projects aim to improve local plastics and waste management systems, enhance community engagement, and reduce the leakage of plastic waste into coastal and marine environments. The interventions are aligned with national and local priorities.
During the 2nd RSC meeting in 2024, the pilot project concepts for the Philippine sites were approved. Subsequently, the detailed designs of the pilot projects have been developed by the consulting firm, EECI, Inc., in close collaboration with local government units (LGUs) in 2025. These designs reflect the insights, technical inputs, feasibility, and on-ground realities gathered through extensive stakeholder consultations.
The Intersessional RSC meeting was an essential step to ensure that the proposed interventions are sound, feasible, and ready for implementation. The outcomes will not only guide the pilot project implementation but also reinforce the collective commitment of project partners to achieve measurable impacts in reducing marine plastics in the Philippines.
The meeting was organized in hybrid format: at the conference room of the office of Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones and through Zoom for the online participants.
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Manual for Monitoring of Marine Plastic Debris
This monitoring manual is designed to help to monitor and assess the distribution and abundance of marine plastic debris on MOF/PEMSEA ODA Project on Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas (EAS) Region.
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MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project Third Regional Steering Committee Meeting
The Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meeting is the main decision making body of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Project entitled “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” comprised of the donor: the Government of Republic of Korea represented by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), and the participating countries: the Philippines, represented by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DENR) and Timor-Leste, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTE) and Ministry of State Administration (MSA). The Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU) of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) serves as the Secretariat to the RSC.
The RSC meets at least once a year to review project progress, provide strategic direction and guidance, and approve the work plan and budget for the subsequent year’s project activities. The Chair of the RSC rotates among the participating countries. The inaugural RSC meeting in 2023 was chaired by the Government of the Philippines, represented by H.E. Undersecretary Jonas Leones of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The second RSC meeting was chaired by the Government of Timor-Leste, represented by Mr. Aleixo Leonito Amaral, Advisor to the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF). For the third RSC, the meeting was chaired by the Philippines, represented by Dr. Al O. Orolfo, Director of the DENR Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service (FASPS).
The 3rd RSC Meeting was held via Zoom on 10 December 2025.
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MOF/PEMSEA Marine Plastics ODA Project Interim Regional Steering Committee Meeting
The Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meeting is the highest decision making body of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Project entitled “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” comprised of the donor: the Government of Republic of Korea represented by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), and the participating countries: the Philippines, represented by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DENR) and Timor-Leste, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTE). The Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU) of the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) serves as the Secretariat.
The RSC convenes every year to report the progress and approve work plan and budget for the following year’s project activities. The chairmanship is assumed by both participating countries on an alternating basis. This inaugural RSC meeting was organized in Manila, Philippines and chaired by the Government of the Philippines, represented by H.E. Undersecretary Jonas Leones of the DENR.
The Interim RSC Meeting was held on 12 December 2023 via Zoom.