PEMSEA E-UPDATES Vol. V Issue 06 2004
East Asian Countries Meet on Sustainable Development Strategy Implementation
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- Following the adoption of the Sustainable Development
Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) at Putrajaya, Malaysia, last December
2003, representatives from PEMSEA participating countries and international
organizations met in Manila from 23-27 August to develop and recommend a plan on
how to implement the SDS-SEA.
Thirty participants and resource persons attended the Working Group Meeting on the
Implementation of the SDS-SEA, which was organized by PEMSEA and hosted by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Republic of
Philippines. Representatives from 10 PEMSEA participating countries (Cambodia, China,
DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, RO Korea, Thailand and Vietnam),
the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the PEMSEA
Regional Programme Office attended the meeting.
The working group reviewed and finalized a concept brief on the implementation of the
SDS-SEA, which was prepared by PEMSEA based on the inputs from the preparatory
meeting of experts held in Chengdu, PR China, last March. The meeting also discussed
approaches to mobilizing commitments and support from participating countries and
other stakeholders for implementing the SDS-SEA.
The finalized plan for the SDS-SEA implementation called for a programme of activities,
which includes:
· Establishing institutional arrangements for the sustainable implementation of the
SDS-SEA;
· Developing national policies and action plans for sustainable coastal and ocean
development in at least 70 percent of PEMSEA participating countries by 2015;
· Putting at least 20 percent of coastlines of the region under integrated coastal
management (ICM) programmes by 2015;
· Establishing collaborative arrangements between and among research institutions,
universities, the private sector, governments, communities and NGOs; and
· Facilitating national and regional pollution reduction investment programmes.
The programme of activities for the implementation of the SDS-SEA will be submitted
for consideration to the PEMSEA Programme Steering Committee (PSC) during its 10th
meeting in Xiamen, PR China, in October.
Initiated and prepared by PEMSEA in consultation with 12 participating governments
and other stakeholders of the Seas of East Asia, the SDS-SEA is a package of strategies,
principles and action programs for achieving sustainable development for the Seas of
East Asia. It represents implementation approaches for the integrated management and
the sustainable use of the environment and its resources.
GEF Contributes $1M for PPP Project in East Asia
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- In a signing ceremony held last 25 August, the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) contributed US$ 1 million to jumpstart a two-year project
aimed at building confidence and capacity in public-private partnerships for pollution
prevention and the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources in East Asia. The
project, titled: Development and Implementation of Public-Private Partnerships in
Environmental Investments, will be executed by the International Maritime Organization
with PEMSEA undertaking overall management and co-ordination.
The objectives of the PPP Project are to enhance the capacity of government,
communities and the private sector to develop, finance, manage and sustain
environmental infrastructure improvement projects for pollution prevention and the
sustainable use of marine and coastal resources through PPP; and to increase investment
opportunities for environmental improvement and coastal and marine resource
development and management for countries in East Asia.
About 50 representatives from PEMSEA participating countries, international
organizations, and the private sector witnessed the ceremony. In her opening remarks,
UNDP Philippines Resident Representative, Ms. Deborah Landey, emphasized the
importance of partnerships in attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ms.
Elisea G. Gozun, next gave her address where she stressed the importance of the role of
the private sector in addressing environmental issues and attaining and sustainable
development.
PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, in his remarks gave credit
to the DENR, the local government unit of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, headed
by Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, and the province of Bataan, headed by Governor Enrique
Garcia, and the private sector partner in the project in the City of San Fernando, Mr. Jose
Luis Yulo Jr. of Pro-Environment Consortium, for pursuing the partnership towards
establishing an integrated solid waste management systems in their respective localities.
With the continuing decline in the volume of overseas development aid and the inability
of countries to allocate sufficient portions of their gross domestic product to
environmental protection and restoration, PPP is seen as an innovative way to meet the
financial shortfall to counter the on-going degradation of marine and coastal resources in
the East Asian region.
Quang Nam to be Designated as PEMSEA Parallel Site
QUANG NAM, VIETNAM -- Efforts are now underway to designate Quang Nam as a
new PEMSEA integrated coastal management (ICM) parallel site. This after a PEMSEA
mission to evaluate the site concluded that the province successfully met PEMSEA's site
selection criteria. The mission noted Quang Nam's strong political commitment, the
appropriateness of management issues requiring the ICM approach and the financial
commitment of the local government in undertaking the activities of an ICM parallel site.
The evaluation mission was conducted in response to requests from the National Focal
Point of Vietnam, and the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee. PEMSEA
Regional Programme Director Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, and PEMSEA Technical Officer, Ms.
Nancy Bermas-Atrigenio visited Quang Nam on 28-29 July to evaluate the suitability of
the site by confirming the support and commitment of the local government and
stakeholders and identify issues and problems to be addressed by the ICM program.
The People's Committee of Quang Nam stressed its willingness to provide the needed
financial support and to establish the required coordinating mechanism. The People's
Committee also indicated that it will provide leadership in the implementation of the ICM
project, and sign a Memorandum of Agreement with PEMSEA to officially commit local
government resources to the implementation of the ICM programme.
In line with the Vietnamese central government policy to provide support to least
developed provinces in Vietnam, Quang Nam was selected as one of the sites for the ICM
program development. It is one of the poorest coastal provinces of the country. Located
south of Danang City, Quang Nam's main economic activities include tourism,
aquaculture/fisheries, forestry and industrial development. Its 125 km coastline is dotted
with fine sandy beaches and supports tourism, aquaculture and sand mining. The
province is facing numerous environmental management concerns such as habitat
alteration and pollution from infrastructure development; the lack of any tourism
development plan; and the significant reduction of ground water level and saltwater
intrusion from unregulated aquaculture and shrimp farming.
The mission concluded that ICM can make a positive contribution in providing
coordination and management measures to many of the issues identified, especially in the
sustainable development of small-scale shrimp farming, sand mining management, beach
management and industrial waste management.
Indonesia ICM Sites Build Online Presence
BALI, INDONESIA -- The PEMSEA integrated coastal management (ICM)
demonstration site in Bali, Indonesia and Parallel Site in Sukabumi, recently held training
workshops on Web Development and Networking. The workshops were aimed at helping
Bali and Sukabumi establish their own presence on the Internet and provide the two sites
with a new means of sharing local lessons and experiences in environmental management
to a much wider online audience.
The Web Development and Networking workshops were held on 29 August 4
September. The training was co-organized by PEMSEA with local partner The
Government of Bali Province Board of Local Environmental Impact Control
(BAPEDALDA).
The training tackled basic web jargons, effective web content development, web design
tips, promotion and marketing of websites and good practices in web development. Web
development and application softwares, such as Adobe Photoshop for web designing, MS
FrontPage for HTML programming, FTP Voyager for file transfer applications,
Macromedia Dreamweaver and Ulead GIF Animator, were also discussed for dynamic
page applications. The training also produced an action plan for the implementation of
web development activities for Bali and Sukabumi. The two ICM sites plan to develop
English and Bahasa versions of their websites.
The workshops are part of a series of on-site training programs being organized by
PEMSEA for the creation of ICM websites, referred to as Coastalinks, to be used in
strengthening a regional "C2C" (Coast to Coast) networking and parallel knowledge
sharing on the East Asian seas. PEMSEA is targeting the simultaneous launching of
Coastalink websites during the 10th PSC Meeting in October 2004.
ICM Capacity Takes Shape in DPRK
PYONGYANG, DPR KOREA -- A training of trainers on integrated coastal management
(ICM) conducted in 11-16 July resulted in a heightened understanding of the ICM
concept and process and the development of module plans and action plans necessary for
the conduct of a future pilot ICM training workshop in the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea.
The participants were trained to understand and explain the basic tools applied in ICM;
develop ICM module plans and action plans; and apply these skills through the conduct
of a future ICM training course to be given to potential ICM practitioners, national
government officials and policymakers within the country.
The training was well accepted and the open forum that followed saw a high degree of
questions being raised and discussed by the participants on numerous issues, such as: the
concepts of sustainable development; the scientific and technological problems in ICM;
the conduct of public awareness in ICM; and the most appropriate organizational
structure for implementing ICM.
The training was attended by 15 participants from various national and local government
agencies and the academe and was organized by PEMSEA in partnership with the Kim Il
Sung University, the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection and General Bureau
of Cooperation with International Organizations.
With the East Asian region facing numerous challenges in sustaining its coastal and
marine areas against concerns such as pollution, habitat destruction and multiple-use
conflicts, the use of an integrated coastal and marine management approach like ICM is
seen as a viable option to attain coastal and marine sustainability. The training in
Pyongyang is the latest effort of PEMSEA, in partnership with local governments
throughout the region, to build regional capacity and confidence in ICM.
Bangkok and Tanjung Pelepas Ports Start First Phase of PSSHE-MS
BANGKOK, THAILAND -- PEMSEA is working for the establishment of a Port
Security, Safety, Health and Environmental - Management System (PSSHE-MS) in
Bangkok Port, Thailand and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia. The two ports are to
become demonstration sites on the PSSH-EMS system, enabling other ports in the region
to learn and benefit from its experiences.
The PSSHE-MS is an integrated management system designed to provide individual port
operators with a management framework and plan for enhancing efficiency, cost-
effectiveness and profit in their operations. A port with a functional PSSHE-MS would
provide assurance to its clients, workers, and community that it is conscious of its
responsibility on safety and the environment, and is applying appropriate measures to
comply with national and international legal instruments and standards.
As a first step to establishing the PSSHE-MS, PEMSEA organized the conduct of an
initial status review on 30 August September 4 for Bangkok Port, and on 1016
September for the Port of Tanjung Pelepas. Over sixty port personnel from both countries
participated in the review. The initial status review, a first of six phases in PSSHE-MS
development, identified current practices on both ports and evaluated deficiencies against
required standards; identified site processes, products and services having a significant
environmental impact and intolerable risk; and provided baseline data for developing
health, safety and environmental policy objectives and targets.
Both ports are now currently preparing for the next phase of PSSHE-MS development, a
strategic planning phase, which calls for creating an effective environmental policy and
objectives for improving performance.
Xiamen ICM Benefits Shared in Brisbane Coastal Zone Conference
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA -- The experiences and lessons of how integrated coastal
management contributed to economic growth without compromising environmental
quality in Xiamen, PR China, became a highlight during the Coastal Zone Asia Pacific
Conference 2004, held from 5-9 September 2004.
In his keynote address "Dynamics of Integrated Coastal Management and Improvement
of the Quality of Life," PEMSEA Regional Programme Director, Dr. Chua Thia-Eng,
presented the evolution of ICM in East Asia, the key challenges in achieving ICM's goal
of improving the quality of life of coastal inhabitants, and the socioeconomic and
ecological benefits of ICM as seen in Xiamen, PR China. Xiamen Municipality was able
to maintain an average GDP growth of 18 percent over the last 20 years without
compromising its natural environment.
The keynote paper was well received by the conference, setting the tone for discussions
that followed with the paper being frequently referred to during the specific thematic
sessions. More than 280 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Cook Islands,
Egypt, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Palau,
Philippines, Portugal, PR China, RO Korea, Samoa, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Tanzania, Thailand, The Netherlands, UK, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and the Virgin
Islands attended the conference. While most of the participants composed of natural
scientists, the conference also saw participation from economists, social scientists, and
political leaders from national and state levels.
The CZAP 2004 is the second CZAP conference focusing on coastal management issues
of the Asia Pacific region. The conference covered themes on livelihoods, communities,
modeling and assessment, sustainable industries, protecting cultural heritage,
international agreements and collaboration, integrated policy and planning, monitoring
and evaluation, adaptive management and innovation, and stakeholder partnerships and
collaboration.
New PEMSEA Environmental Videos Ready for Broadcast
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- PEMSEA has produced two environmental videos
that are ready for TV broadcast: The EAS Congress 2003: Regional Partnerships in
Action, a video that highlighted the recently concluded East Asian Seas Congress held in
Putrajaya, Malaysia; and Melasti: A Festival of Hope, a video on integrated coastal
management (ICM) and cultural practices in Bali, Indonesia.
Initial arrangement is being forged with television networks interested in airing the
videos.
PEMSEA has produced a number of video documentaries on environmental management
practices that were aired on Philippine TV. This includes Monsoon Tale, a video that
focused on the ICM experiences in the Philippines (Batangas, Bataan and Manila Bay)
and in Xiamen, China. PEMSEA has also produced audio-visual and informational
videos about the programme, to provide a background on its activities and objectives, and
the Sibuyan Eco-Youth Camp, a video that featured the eco-youth camp held in Sibuyan
Island, Romblon, Philippines.
Besides TV broadcast, these environmental videos are also used for other purposes such
as in-training programs as part of modules and school projects. A number of requests for
video copies are received through the PEMSEA website.
PEMSEA is active in the production of environmental videos and has been collaborating
with media partners and contacts to achieve its goal of promoting environmental and
coastal management. This goal is also established to ensure that lessons learned from its
programme sites are disseminated to its stakeholders in East Asia and beyond.
EAS Congress 2003 Proceedings Released
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- The Proceedings for The East Asian Seas Congress
2003, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia from 8-12 December 2003 has now been released by
PEMSEA and copies are now being made available to interested parties.
The East Asian Seas Congress 2003: Regional Implementation of the WSSD
Commitments for the Seas of East Asia -- Proceedings of the Ministerial Forum and
International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia:
Towards a New Era of Regional Collaboration and Partnerships was edited by Chua
Thia-Eng, S. Adrian Ross, Paolo Mangahas and Maria Cecilia San.
Over 100 papers were presented during the International Conference's eight concurrent
workshops, which focused on maritime transport; land-based pollution; fisheries and
aquaculture; biodiversity; local governance and alliances; skills and expertise; finance,
investments and corporate responsibility; and national coastal and ocean policies and
regional collaborative arrangements. The conclusions and recommendations arising from
these workshops were presented and considered during the Ministerial Forum, which led
to the endorsement of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia
and the signing of the Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation on the Sustainable
Development of the Seas of East Asia.
The international event was organized in order to catalyze regional and international
collaboration and efforts towards minimizing environmental deterioration, ensuring the
sustainable use of natural resources, providing a cleaner coastal and marine environment,
and protecting the remaining ocean heritage.
Individuals interested in obtaining copies of the proceedings can visit PEMSEA's online
bookstore.
PEMSEA Welcomes New Interns
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES -- Mr. Arthit Chachiyo and Ms. Nisakorn Wiwekwin
recently joined PEMSEA as its newest interns.
Nisakorn is a Municipal Officer of the Health and Environment Sector Angsila
Municipality in Chonburi, Thailand and Arthit is Chief of Student Activity, Education
Center at Sriracha Municipality, also in Chonburi, Thailand.
During their three-month internship, in preparation for assisting in the implementation of
the National ICM Demonstration Project in Chonburi, Thailand, they will focus on the
concept and approaches of integrated coastal management (ICM), integrated
environmental impact assessment (IEIA), and the PEMSEA framework of project
development, implementation and management of coastal and marine environmental
projects. They will also familiarize themselves with the Chonburi ICM project work plan,
project outputs (risk assessment, coastal strategy, communication plan, Integrated
Information Management System).
Specifically, Nisakorn will assist in the implementation of activities for the Chonburi
ICM Project by supporting the Coastal Strategy Implementation Plan (CSIP) project by
preparing the report of the inception workshop, and developing the draft CSIP; and
assisting in the development of the Chonburi ICM website by preparing
materials/information for the web pages.
Arthit will develop a plan for implementing public awareness and community
mobilization activities in the entire ICM area, guided by the Communication Plan
developed for the ICM site; understand the process of oil spill contingency planning in
preparation for the development of a local oil spill contingency plan for Sriracha
Municipality; provide inputs to the development of a draft CSIP; and assist in ICM
website development by preparing materials/information for the web pages.
PEMSEA's internship program provides opportunities for young professionals from
participating countries to acquire and strengthen their skills in related fields by taking
part in PEMSEA activities.
COPYRIGHT © PEMSEA