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Introducing ‘The PEMSEA Story’: Collaborative ocean governance in the seas of East Asia

PEMSEA

By IW:LEARN

December 10^th, 2021

As Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) marks its 28th year, the issues confronting the ocean remain. PEMSEA has continued to work on marine issues that affect the Seas of East Asia and beyond, including biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, climate change and disaster risk reduction, pollution reduction and waste management, ocean governance and strategic partnerships, knowledge management and capacity building, and blue economy and sustainable financing. The East Asian Seas are also a major conduit of global trade and a source of global protein and nutrition, and have rich cultural and socio-economic value.

As an intergovernmental platform created by 11 country partners, with collaborations with local governments, research and academic institutions, and more than 20 non-country partners, PEMSEA’s role will continue to expand, as regional and global cooperation become more important across borders and boundaries. Effective ocean management in the region will not only preserve existing ocean benefits, but will lead to increased stability and growth for the future.

These partnerships include a longstanding collaboration between PEMSEA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from Global Environment Facility. This collaboration has aimed at achieving a shared vision of sustainable development and good governance, and has covered challenges facing the seas of East Asia, such as inclusive economic growth and the impacts of climate change.

A new publication produced by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP, and PEMSEA, The PEMSEA Story: 28 years of collaboration for the Seas of East Asia, highlights the growth and development of PEMSEA, from its initial work on water pollution, to its current role as a regional coordinating mechanism for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).

"The PEMSEA Story" foreword by Ms. Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP. Image credit: PEMSEA

Among the key stories include:

Initial pollution development projects, including the successful implementation of integrated coastal management (ICM) in Xiamen, China;
The development and scaling up of the SDS-SEA;
PEMSEA’s transformation into a regional partnership with a distinct legal personality;
The expansion and development of ICM into a versatile, widely adapted system;
The creation of the State of Ocean and Coasts monitoring and reporting mechanism, a tool that allows for the assessment of coastal systems;
The creation and development of PEMSEA’s network of partners, including the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) and the PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC);
Lessons in building an ocean-based economy; and
A look into PEMSEA’s future in the wake of uncertainties and opportunities brought about by the global pandemic.

The cover image of The PEMSEA Story publication (image credit: PEMSEA)

Integrated management solutions and strategic partnerships remain crucial for tackling the region’s ocean challenges. The PEMSEA Story shows how such partnerships have grown, and how they will continue to do so in the coming years.

This story includes the reflections of some of the men and women who helped transform PEMSEA. There are many others who have been part of PEMSEA’s journey, and whose invaluable contributions are gratefully acknowledged. The story likewise drew from key historical documents written by the staff of the PEMSEA Resource Facility through the years.

The challenges facing our shared seas are immense. Nonetheless, PEMSEA continues to believe in its vision of a healthy ocean, people, and economies, and knows that there is so much more of the story to be written.