International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

GEF Council Meeting Highlights PEMSEA Achievements

19 Dec 2013 | by pemsea.org
Washington, DC, USA — In recognition of the role of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as organizations that were instrumental to its success, PEMSEA attended the recent GEF Council Meeting last 5 November 2013 to present its achievements in the East Asian Seas region for the past 20 years.
The 45th GEF Council Meeting was a great opportunity for PEMSEA to promote its efforts in the region to a broader audience comprised of GEF country representatives from different parts of the world. At the Meeting, Stephen Adrian Ross, PEMSEA Acting Executive Director and Chief Technical Officer, shared a 15-minute presentation on the evolution of PEMSEA from a marine pollution demonstration project in 1993 into an independent and self-sustaining regional organization focused on coastal management and ocean governance. He provided an overview of PEMSEA's partnership approach in promoting regional cooperation and ownership in developing ocean policy and legislation, scaling up integrated coastal management (ICM) to cover 12 percent of the regions’ coastline, and addressing sectoral (i.e., pollution reduction, sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation) and cross-cutting (i.e., climate change adaptation, ocean-based blue economy) sustainable development issues.

Following Mr. Ross' presentation, copies of PEMSEA's anniversary publication, Perspectives on Building a Regional Mechanism for Coastal and Ocean Governance in the Seas of East Asia, were presented to the GEF CEO, Dr. Naoka Ishii, and the Deputy Executive Director of the GEF-UNDP International Waters (IW) Program, Ms. Adriana Dinu. The book showcases the experiences of leaders and champions from PEMSEA, partner international organizations, academia and the private sector who all have played a vital role in PEMSEA's evolution in the last two decades. Perspectives also puts forward the directions and future prospects of PEMSEA as it transforms into a full-fledged and self-sustaining international organization dedicated to coastal management and ocean governance.