• Compile data and information collected from different concerned agencies and organizations to serve as baseline information related to the country’s ocean economy, coastal and marine resources and environment, socioeconomic condition, governance structure, and blue economy initiatives;
• Contribute to the blue economy assessment, and monitoring of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), other international agreements, and related national laws and policies; and
• Aid policy-making, planning and management of the coastal and marine areas of the country, and monitoring of the country’s progress.

The NSOC Report uses available data from agencies, reports and studies. It is limited by lack of disaggregated data for the ocean economy, and current data on the marine environment and ecosystems, and initiatives related to blue economy development. Nevertheless, the information presented in this report provides an overview of the valuable and vulnerable oceans, and shows potential areas and opportunities for more sustainable growth path.

The National SOC Report provides information on the status of seas and coasts of RO Korea, including the ocean economy, the existing and potential uses of coastal and marine resources, and the corresponding benefits and impacts. Responding to the issues and pressures affecting both the ocean economy and ocean health, RO Korea adopted policies, laws, and institutional reforms as well as invested in research and development for innovative technologies, and more sustainable ocean industries.

Cambodia’s National SOC Report provides information on the status of seas and coasts of the country, including its ocean economy; coastal and marine resources; the existing and potential uses of such resources, and the corresponding benefits and impacts. The NSOC report of Cambodia aims to:

• support the Information Management System for the Coastal Zone and compile data and information collected from different concerned agencies to serve as baseline information for the assessment of coastal and marine areas of Cambodia;
• contribute to the blue economy assessment and monitoring of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), SDGs, other international agreements, and related national laws and policies;
• aid policy-making, planning and management of the coastal and marine areas of the country, including the natural resources, environment, economic activities and investments, and foster inter-agency collaboration; and
• monitor the Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme for Blue Economy Development in Cambodia’s marine and coastal areas.
   

Singapore’s SOC Report aims to facilitate our understanding of the role of the ocean and its contribution to the national economy; impacts of human activities on ocean health and sustainability; potential areas for investments in environmentally-sound technologies and infrastructure; and the interventions and innovative mechanisms needed to respond to changing environment and climate. Knowing that sustainable use of the oceans is coupled with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, Life Below Water, it is evident that preserving the health of our oceans is a fundamental prerequisite for business to operate in the long-term and by tackling the challenges of today.

The progressively intense and diversified use of Singapore’s coastal and marine environment (CME) necessitates an integrated approach for effective coastal management and its sustainable use. The SOC Reporting mechanism is also employed to assess the overall effectiveness of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) implementation. In this report, we look back over a five- to ten-year period to examine the latest trends in the state of our coasts and analyze how and why the CME is changing and whether these trends fit within the context of sustainability and the blue economy development. The report provides a comprehensive outlook of different areas of sustainable development that contribute to blue economy growth in Singapore.

Guimaras Province (located southeast of Panay Island and northwest of Negros Island) has developed the Guimaras Coastal Strategy 2020 as part of its long-term vision of becoming the agri-ecotourism capital of Western Visayas. Adopted via Resolution No. 160, the Guimaras Coastal Strategy builds on the province’s adoption of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) as a key approach towards achieving sustainable development of its coastal and marine areas and resources.

The result of an integrated planning process involving all public and private stakeholders of the province and its five municipalities, the Guimaras Coastal Strategy was developed through the help of local and national governments, NGOs, and fisherfolk and farmers who will be involved in its implementation as partners.

The Strategy identifies conflicts arising from multiple use of limited marine and coastal resources, proposes actions for protecting or enhancing environmental quality and biodiversity, while facilitating environment-friendly economic development and providing environmental investment opportunities.

This Baseline Report is part of the ASEANO Project. It assesses current knowledge and plastic practices within Cavite and the LGUs along the Imus River.

In the past year, concerted efforts to scale up the implementation of the 2018-2022 Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) meant PEMSEA and its partner countries surpassed its integrated coastal management (ICM) targets ahead of schedule. Targeting to achieve at least 25% coverage of the region’s coastline by 2021, ICM coverage of the region’s coastline is now estimated at 37.9% as of December 2019.

The year 2020 has been declared a “Super Year” for the ocean, as growing evidence has shown that the sustainability of our marine ecosystems is inextricably linked to our human health and future prospects. The next decade has also been declared by the United Nations as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. From 2021 to 2030, PEMSEA is committed to supporting the UN SDGs, the new Biodiversity Conservation Framework and other international and regional commitments. This new decade of action will see the East Asian Seas play a leading role in addressing the issue of marine pollution and venturing into new integrated approaches to promoting ocean health and sustainable blue economies.

Representatives from PEMSEA, NIVA, and CSEAS undertook a trip to Cavite, Philippines, facilitated by Cavite PG-ENRO, to study the proposed pilot site for the Philippine sub-component of the ASEANO project, to meet relevant stakeholders, and to launch the sub-component through an inception workshop with relevant stakeholders from the city of Dasmariñas and nearby areas.

During two days of site visits, various sites along the river were visited and documented, and local stakeholders including politicians and academe representatives were met. These visits allowed the project team to obtain a better picture of existing waste reduction efforts along the Imus river. For the river, the project team observed an expected increase in pollution levels as the river moved downstream, and observed numerous areas of waste accumulation and points of waste entry into the river. The university stakeholders, Cavite State University and De La Salle University Dasmariñas, expressed great support for the project and are enthusiastic about becoming involved in the research component of the project. Local politicians were also supportive, and referred us to their various material recovery schemes, which across different jurisdictions performed similar material recovery including producing biogas, recycling plastic into new products such as bags and ecobricks, and creating charcoal.

The Inception Workshop held on 5th March brought together stakeholders and interested parties with the dual aims of introducing these parties to the project and providing an opportunity for the project team to ask questions of these individuals. Local inputs and recommendations were sought on a number of different topics, and these inputs will be used to guide the project going forwards.

A project team meeting comprising of core representatives from Cavite, PEMSEA, NIVA and CSEAS, was held to reflect on the learnings of the previous days and chart the way forward for the Philippine sub-component. Existing information will be compiled into a background report on the Imus river, which will be included as a section within the overall ASEANO project’s baseline report. Further smaller meetings and discussions are expected over the coming months, and future inperson meetings are expected around the middle of the year.

With the theme of "Blue Partnership for a Maritime Community with a Shared Future", this year's World Ocean Week launched a new marine activities model which combined the exhibition, forum, investment promotion, science popularization, and tourism. It focused on marine industry docking and international communication, which deepens marine communication and cooperation between China and BRI countries, including ASEAN members.