MANILA, PHILIPPINES— The resolution submitted by the Government of the Philippines called  “Promoting Marine Protected Area Networks in the ASEAN region” has been approved during the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP12) during a meeting recently held in Manila. This is the first time the COP was held in Asia.

 

SANYA CITY, CHINA— The recent annual forum of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) stressed the importance of countries investing their technical and financial resources to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The forum discussed the commitments of PNLG members as detailed in their Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for 2016-2021 and how they aim to meet the SDGs in five years.

 

A National Inception Workshop was conducted on January 23 and 24 in Rayong, Thailand to kickstart the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA Project on Scaling Up the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia for Thailand (2015-2019).

 

The workshop was co-organized by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) and the PEMSEA Resource Facility with support from the PEMSEA ICM Learning Center in Burapha University (BUU).

 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Preparations for the East Asian Seas Congress 2018 are now in full swing with the collaboration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). The 2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress will be held on November 27-30, 2018 at the Iloilo Convention Center.

 

Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is the first intergovernmental organization to formally join the initiative

 

Fish farms on Laguna de Bay (Nick Greenfield/UN Environment)

 

“When I was a boy, the lake was beautiful,” Bernardo San Juan says. “In the early 70s we would picnic here and swim in the lake. We would just bring a pot and some rice, we would catch fish to cook and drink the lake water. Today, it’s a different story…”

 

Today, in fact, the lake is hardly visible. Instead, vast swathes of the water around the lakeside Filipino town of Cardarno are a sea of green, fish pens and navigation channels alike clogged by an impenetrable mass of water hyacinth.

 

From left to right: Ms. Connie Pura, Ms. Joyce Paigao, Ms. Janine Galang, Ms. Julia Guerrero, and Mr. Thomas Bell.

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA would like to welcome Ms. Connie Pura, Ms. Joyce Paigao, Ms. Janine Galang, Ms. Julia Guerrero, and Mr. Thomas Bell to the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF). With the East Asian Seas Congress 2018 in Iloilo, Philippines, coming this November, we’re glad to have these new PRF team members to ensure everything runs smoothly.

 

“Recognizing the critical need for global action to ensure the sustainability of our oceans, the GEF has provided tremendous support to ocean governance,” says Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “GEF initiatives have enhanced global and regional cooperation and led to improved ecosystem health, services and human wellbeing through stronger governance at regional, national and local levels.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—From its humble beginnings as a marine pollution demonstration project in 1993 to its current status as a leading international organization promoting the sustainable development of the East Asian Seas region’s oceans and coasts, PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia) is celebrating its 25th year, which will culminate at the 2018 East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress scheduled on November 27-30, in the Philippines.

 

Young Champions from the 2015 EAS Youth Forum commit to environment-friendly practices for sustainable oceans and seas. (PEMSEA)

 

Calling all youth! We need all hands on deck to collectively achieve the global ocean targets, and youth have a critical part to play. The experience of the East Asian Seas region for the past 25 years has shown that true sustainable development is only possible with integrated and multi-stakeholder cooperation.