PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. IV Issue 10 November 2003
An Epoch-Making Event for the Seas of East Asia
PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA -- "An epoch-making event." This is how Hon. Hayao Hora,
Vice-Minister for Transport and International Affairs of Japan described the adoption of
the Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of
the Seas of East Asia during a ministerial forum held on 12 December 2003. The
Declaration's adoption now paves the way for a strategic regional approach in developing
and managing coastal and marine resources in the region.
Ministers of 12 East Asian countries adopted the Declaration during the Ministerial
Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia, a forum where East
Asia's top-level policymakers discussed the state of the region's environment and natural
resources, the sustainable development of coasts and oceans, and agreed on a common
framework of actions for the East Asian Seas known as the Sustainable Development
Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).
Through the Declaration, the twelve countries Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, P.R.
China, D.P.R. Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, R.O. Korea, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam -- adopted the SDS-SEA, and firmly pledged to commit to
regional cooperation and collaboration. A document initiated and prepared by PEMSEA,
in consultation with 12 participating Governments and other stakeholders of the Seas of
East Asia, the SDS-SEA provides a common platform for regional cooperation and as a
framework for policy and programme development and implementation, at the national
and local level (see related article). The SDS-SEA also provides flexibility in that it will
be implemented on a voluntary basis, where deemed appropriate by each of the twelve
countries in the region. The Declaration and the SDS-SEA is significant in that it
represent the first regional implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in East Asia.
"I know of no other region of the world with a similar roadmap for regional
implementation of the World Summit targets toward sustainable development," this
according to Dr. Alfred Duda, Global Environment Facility, Senior Adviser on
International Waters. Dr. Duda also congratulated the region's stakeholders on the
Declaration's adoption. "By adopting the sustainable development strategy, you are
taking regional cooperation to a new level in addressing the coastal and marine concerns
that are common to your economies, your people and your sustainable future."
The Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia, was part
of the East Asian Seas Congress 2003, held on 8-12 December at the Putrajaya Marriott
Hotel. The Congress was co-organized by PEMSEA and Department of Environment
Malaysia.
Ministers who signed the declaration include Hon. Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji
Ahmad bin Haji Jumat, Minister of Development of Brunei Darussalam; Hon. Dr. Mok
Mareth, Minister for the Environment of Cambodia; Hon. Wang Shuguang,
Administrator for the State Oceanic Administration of P.R. China; Hon. Chae Tu Young,
Deputy Minister for Land and Maritime Transportation of D.P.R. Korea; Hon.
Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno, Special Assistant to the Minister of Environment for Global
and Environment Affairs of Indonesia; Hon. Hayao Hora, Vice Minister for Transport
and International Affairs of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan;
Hon. Dato' Seri Law Hieng Ding, Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment
of Malaysia; Hon. Elisea G. Gozun, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of
the Philippines; Hon. Chang, Seung-Woo, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of
the R.O. Korea; Hon. Loh Ah Tuan, Director-General, Environmental Protection
Division and Acting CEO of the National Environment Agency of Singapore; Hon.
Nikorn Chamnong, Deputy Minister of Transport of Thailand; and Hon. Dr. Pham Khoi
Nguyen, Senior Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam.
A New Hope for the Seas of East Asia
PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA -- The East Asian Seas Congress 2003 in Putrajaya,
Malaysia on 8-12 December 2003 carried a new hope for the seas of the East Asian
region in the form of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia
(SDS-SEA).
The SDS-SEA is a package of applicable principles, action programs, agreements and
instruments for achieving sustainable development for the Seas of East Asia. It represents
implementation approaches for the integrated management and sustainable use of the
environment and resources by:
· Creating regional partnerships among government agencies, non-government
organizations, private sector and other stakeholders;
· Enabling concerned organizations operating in the region at all levels to promote
synergistic and cumulative impacts of their efforts and expertise for the benefits
of the countries involved and other stakeholders;
· Providing the countries and other stakeholders with a set of guidelines, references
and examples for assisting in their development of strategies, policies and
implementation plans in order to address specific national, local and sectoral
needs;
· Offering a set of operational approaches and measures for sustainable coastal and
marine development that have been proven suitable and effective in the region;
· Facilitating the sharing and transfer of experiences, knowledge, technology and
techniques, as well as mutual assistance among countries;
· Facilitating the flow of support and assistance from interested financing
institutions and donor agencies, and the creation of self-sustained financing
mechanisms and investment opportunities for sustainable coastal and marine
development.
The SDS-SEA is a product of a long and comprehensive consultation and approval
process that has stimulated debates and built up general consensus and partnerships
among various policy makers, natural resource and environment managers, the academe,
private sector, civil society, international agencies, intergovernmental financial
institutions and all those who care for the coastal and marine environment and believe in
sustainable development.
This 110-page document was adopted at Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable
Development of Seas of East Asia (12 December), which immediately followed the
International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia:
Towards a New Era of Regional Collaboration and Partnerships (8-11 December) at the
Putrajaya Marriott Hotel.
Building on the work done at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting of
Ocean-Related Ministers (Seoul, 2002) and the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (Johannesburg, 2002), the Ministerial Forum provided a venue where East
Asia's top-level policymakers discussed the state of the region's environment and natural
resources and agreed on a common vision of hope for the East Asian Seas.
Experts Examine Main Environmental Concerns for Seas of East Asia
PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA -- Over 400 experts from more than 30 countries met to
review international and national efforts addressing key sectoral concerns on the Seas of
East Asia and examined future areas for collaboration, during the International
Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia: Towards A New
Era of Regional Collaboration and Partnerships held from 8-9 December.
Four simultaneous workshops were held to provide insight into the four key regional
concerns namely: maritime transport; land-based pollution; fisheries and aquaculture; and
biodiversity. The International Conference was part of the East Asian Seas Congress
2003.
Among the findings of the workshops include:
· The use of integrated coastal management, enhanced public awareness and
innovative financing mechanisms as the most effective means to address land-
based pollution;
· The need for a coordination mechanism to be use by maritime administrators such
as pollution preparedness and response, particularly sensitive areas, ballast water
management, and a marine electronic highway for safer and efficient shipping and
cleaner seas;
· The building of socially just fisheries systems, the reduction of fishing activities,
and promotion of locally feasible alternative livelihoods to address fisheries and
aquaculture concerns; and
· The importance of biodiversity conservation efforts going with economic
incentives and mechanisms, and on the need for indicators to measure the impact
of human activities on conserving and using biodiversity.
The conclusions and recommendations of the workshops were given to concerned
ministers and officials of twelve PEMSEA participating countries to assess innovative
and sustainable regional collaborative arrangements and financing mechanisms for the
improvement and strengthening of regional coastal and ocean governance.
International Conference Explores Means to Achieving Sustainable Development
PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA -- The International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Seas of East Asia: Towards A New Era of Regional Collaboration
and Partnerships brought together an estimated 400 experts from more than 30 countries
to explore essential cross-sectoral processes and approaches to achieving sustainable
development in the East Asian region. The International Conference was held from 8-10
December and was a part of the East Asian Seas Congress 2003.
Four simultaneous workshops were held on key topics that include: local governance and
alliances; skills and expertise; finance, investment and corporate responsibility; and
national coastal and ocean policies and regional collaborative arrangements.
The workshops held numerous paper presentations and saw active discussion among the
participants. Among the recommendations produced by the workshops include the need
to:
· Incorporate cross-sectoral national coastal and ocean policy into the national
sustainable development strategy before 2005;
· Promote strong multi-stakeholder consultation and involvement in integrated
coastal management (ICM);
· Provide for the participation and involvement of the youth and media;
· Improve communication in terms of language, media channels and reach;
· Adopt practical indicators of management success and produce an ICM indicators
handbook;
· Promote fuller understanding of benefits and costs/risks of ICM;
· Support small and medium-sized environmental projects involving local
governments and private investors;
· Promote partnership among partnership advocates;
· Undertake regular interactions among scientists, managers, political leaders, and
community leaders; and
· Enter into regional and sub-regional collaborative arrangements, including
regional conventions, to fully assert principles of the Sustainable Development
Strategy of the Seas of East Asia.
The conclusions and recommendations of the workshops were given to concerned
ministers and officials of twelve PEMSEA participating countries to assess innovative
and sustainable regional collaborative arrangements and financing mechanisms for the
improvement and strengthening of regional coastal and ocean governance.
New Tropical Coasts Issue Focuses on Regional Approaches to Sustainable
Development
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA has recently produced its latest issue of
Tropical Coasts Magazine. With the title "The Regional Approach: Harnessing
Intergovernmental Partnerships for Sustainable Development of the World's Seas", the
latest issue sheds light on the advantages of regional cooperation as a necessity for
sustainable development.
"This issue of Tropical Coasts examines some of the regional arrangements that have
been adopted and the lessons learned, as well as the trends in regional cooperation
relating to the environment, regional seas and their associated basins. The aim of this
issue is to show some of the practicalities involved in operationalizing the ideals and
modalities of regional arrangements" explains Stella Regina Bernad, Tropical Coasts
Issue Editor.
The recent issue also features a special pull out section highlighting the legislation and
other institutions of twelve East Asian countries, as part of their efforts in attaining
sustainable development.
Tropical Coasts is a bi-annual publication of PEMSEA, Sida Marine Science Programme,
the Coastal Management Center, and the United Nations Environment Programme-
Global Programme of Action. It is geared towards stimulating an exchange of
information sharing of experiences and ideas with respect to environmental protection
and the management of coastal and marine areas.
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