The Regional Steering Committee Meeting of the GEF/UNDP Project on Implementation of Arafura and Timor Seas Regional and National Strategic Programs: Second Phase of the Arafura-Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Program (ATSEA 2) was held at the Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2019.

The RSC Meeting was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Representatives from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country Offices of Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, and the UNDP Regional Hub Bangkok were present on behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNDP. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as Secretariat for the Meeting, with local support from UNDP Indonesia.

The publication summarizes the proceedings of the first RSC Meeting of the ATSEA2 Project. Powerpoint presentations delivered during the meeting are herewith accessible.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/01       ATSEA2 Inception Workshop Key Takeaways
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/02       Terms of Reference of the RSC and NPB
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/03       Regional Work Plan and Budget 2019-2020
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/04       Indonesia Work Plan and Budget 2019-2020
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/05       Timor-Leste Work Plan and Budget 2019-2020
ATSEA2RSC/DOC/06       Papua New Guinea Work Plan and Budget 2019-2020
 

PEMSEA organized and conducted a regional training workshop on risk and vulnerability assessment (VA) from March 4 to 5, 2019. The main purpose of this workshop was to introduce the Coastal VA tools that were locally developed that the participants may consider in conducting VA on target sites for each member country. A total of nineteen (19) participants consisting of representatives from ICM learning centers in Indonesia, Thailand and Timor Leste, as well as representatives from the Local Governments Units (LGUs) of Pampanga, Bataan, Cavite, Oriental Mindoro, and Guimaras attended this workshop. Three VA tools were presented by speakers from the Marine Science Institute: (a) CIVAT (Coastal Integrity Vulnerability Assessment Tool), (b) TURF (Tools for Understanding the Resilience of Fisheries), and (c) ICSEA Change (Integrated Coastal Sensitivity, Exposure and Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change). These tools have incorporated bio-physical attributes that are unique to tropical ecosystems such as the importance of coastal habitats for maintaining coastal integrity and the dependence on reef fisheries. This suite of Coastal VA tools was developed to assess the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to climate change. Specifically, these tools aim to evaluate biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal integrity based on various factors of Sensitivity, Exposure, and Adaptive Capacity. They are semiquantitative, incorporating a degree of technicality with ease of use.

The 2nd Ocean Leadership Roundtable with the special theme of ‘Future Outlook of the East Asian Seas’ was organized as a special event at the Partnership Council Meeting on 26 July 2018 at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, Philippines. The Roundtable was convened by PEMSEA with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Philippines.

The Roundtable was chaired by Dr. Antonio La Viña, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council. Delegates from the 10th EAS Partnership Council Meeting comprising of eight countries (China, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) and representatives from nine Non-Country Partners, namely ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); Conservation International (CI) Philippines; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM); Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST); Ocean Policy Research Institute Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI,SPF); Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL); Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML); and PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG), together with the members of the PEMSEA Executive Committee participated in the roundtable. Representatives from the Philippine media were also present during the Roundtable. PEMSEA Resource Facility served as Secretariat.

The resource persons for the Roundtable were: Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, EAS Partnership Council Chair Emeritus; Dr. Laura David, Professor, UP Marine Science Institute and; Ms. Deborah Robertson, Natural Resources Specialist, Pacific Department, Asian Development Bank.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
OLR/18/DOC/01             Science, Research and Development Outlook – Dr. Laura David, UP Marine Science Institute
OLR/18/DOC/02             Economic and Development Outlook – Ms. Deborah Robertson, Asian Development Bank
OLR/18/DOC/03             Ocean Governance: Past, Present and Future – Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, EAS Partnership Council, PEMSEA
OLR/18/DOC/04             PEMSEA Post-2020 Framework – Ms. Aimee Gonzales, PEMSEA
 

The Project Steering Committee Meeting of the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA Project on Scaling up Implementation of the SDS-SEA was held at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, Philippines on July 24, 2018. The Meeting was attended by representatives from seven project participating countries, namely: China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and the UNDP Regional Hub Bangkok were present on behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting.

The PSC Meeting focused on the key findings and recommendations of the Project Mid-Term Review, the key accomplishments in countries, and the project work plan and budget for 2018- 2019.

DOCUMENT NUMBER    DOCUMENT TITLE
PSC/18/DOC/01              Country Progress Report: Cambodia
PSC/18/DOC/02              Country Progress Report: China
PSC/18/DOC/03              Country Progress Report: Indonesia
PSC/18/DOC/04              Country Progress Report: Lao PDR
PSC/18/DOC/05              Country Progress Report: Philippines
PSC/18/DOC/06              Country Progress Report: Thailand
PSC/18/DOC/07              Country Progress Report: Timor-Leste
PSC/18/DOC/08              Country Progress Report: Viet Nam
PSC/18/DOC/09              Regional Progress Report: Self-Sustainability
PSC/18/DOC/10              Regional Progress Report: Capacity Development
PSC/18/DOC/11              Regional Progress Report: Gulf of Thailand and Oil Spill Preparedness Response
PSC/18/DOC/12              Regional Progress Report: PSHEMS
PSC/18/DOC/13              Mid-Term Review Report
 

The PNLG Forum 2017 was hosted by the Local Government of Sanya City, Hainan, PR China, from December 5-6, 2017 at the Sanya Visun Royal Yacht Hotel. With the theme, “Conservation to Ecological Restoration of Coastal Areas for Blue Economy” the PNLG Forum gathered over 120 delegates from 31 local governments in 9 countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, RO Korea, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam), as well as representatives from the PNLG associate members (Coastal and Ocean Management Institute and First Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration of China).

Decision-makers and leading experts from ministries, industry, academe and international organizations came together for the first regional Blue Economy Forum, which was held on 14-15 November 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. The East Asian Seas (EAS) region is a center of marine biodiversity as well as a center of economic growth, but there are complex pressures and threats affecting the state of ocean health and ocean economy. Co-organized by PEMSEA, the Thailand Research Fund, and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (MONRE) Thailand, the two-day forum introduced 10 national and 4 sub-regional State of Oceans and Coasts reports, or SOCs, which focused on the vital role that oceans and marine ecosystems play in economic development, trade, welfare, resiliency, and food, water and energy security across the EAS region. The participants concluded that business as usual is no longer an option in the face of changing environment and climate. They underscored the need to prioritize critical challenges and recognize economic growth and healthy oceans as compatible propositions. Interesting actions, innovations, and partnerships taking place in the region demonstrate the huge potential for blue economy, and workable solutions towards achieving sustainable oceans and coasts for all.

The Project Steering Committee Meeting of the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA Project on Scaling up Implementation of the SDS-SEA was held at Makati Diamond Residences Hotel, Makati City, Philippines on July 24, 2017. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines co-hosted the Meeting. The Meeting was attended by representatives from eight project participating countries, namely: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Representatives from Japan and RO Korea were also present as observers and co-financing countries to PEMSEA. Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and the UNDP Regional Hub Bangkok were present on behalf of the Global Environment Facility and UNDP. The PEMSEA Resources Facility (PRF) served as the Secretariat for the Meeting.

The PSC Meeting focused on the status of the project implementation, challenges, opportunities, the regional and national work plans and budget for 2017-2018, and actions to be taken to address gaps.

Agenda
Cambodia Report
China Report
Indonesia Report
Lao PDR Report
Philippines Report
Thailand Report
Timor Leste Report
Vietnam Report
Regional Report
SDS Work Plan and Budget 2017-2018

The Ocean Leadership Roundtable was organized as a special event at the 9th EAS Partnership Council Meeting on 26 July 2017 at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City, Philippines. The Roundtable was convened by PEMSEA and co-hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Philippines.

The Roundtable was chaired by Dr. Antonio La Viña, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council. The 9th EAS Partnership Council Meeting delegates from eleven countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam) and from eleven organizations (ACB, CI Phils, IPIECA, IUCN-MFF, KOEM, MABIK, OPRI-SPF, OSRL, PML, YSLME and UNDP) were in attendance, together with the members of the PEMSEA Executive Committee. The PEMSEA Resource Facility served as Secretariat to the Roundtable.

The resource persons for the Roundtable were: Dr. Stephen Crooks, Principal, Silvestrum Climate Associates; Ms. Justine Leigh-Bell, Director Market Development, Climate Bonds Initiative; Dr. Veerle Vandeweerd, Entrepreneur, Former Director, UNEP and Former Director, Environment and Energy, UNDP; and Dr. Ger Bergkamp, President & CEO, ARCOWA.

This 1-day workshop brought together investment professionals, financiers, development organizations, local and national government officials, project proponents, business organizations and others to provide background on blue economy investment in the region and explore the potential for developing a pipeline of bankable investment opportunities.