Approximately 1,500 people from governments, international organizations, NGOs, business, and marine experts in East Asia will assemble in Changwon, Korea, to participate in the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2012.
The EAS Congress is a pioneering region-wide platform for capacity building, strategic action, and cooperation for the sustainable development of the Seas of East Asia. It has been described as an intellectual marketplace whereby various groups from all across the globe come together to share knowledge and experiences and engage in dynamic discussions regarding trends, issues and concerns related to coastal and ocean governance.
The EAS Congress 2012, to be held from July 9-13 at the Changwon Exhibition Convention Center and Pullman Hotel, will be hosted by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) and the Changwon City Government under the theme “Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities, and Partneship in the Seas of East Asia.”
It is being organized by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), and supported by the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations Office for Project Services.
The EAS Congress 2012 will bring to the fore the crucial role of coastal and ocean resources in support of the global commitments to enhance human welfare and environmental sustainability while pursuing economic growth. In particular, it will provide participants with the prospect of identifying contributions, progress, and achievements in the governance of regional and sub-regional seas within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), which are the essential building blocks for a blue economy, as well as new opportunities and intergovernmental and multi-sector partnerships, which are required in order to realize the full potential of the ocean economy of East Asia, organizers said.
Raphael P.M. Lotilla, executive director of the PEMSEA Resource Facility and concurrent head of the EAS Congress Secretariat, said in his welcoming message posted on the website of PEMSEA, “The EAS Congress 2012 and the Fourth Ministerial Forum aim to advance the region’s commitment towards sustainable development by focusing on the theme ‘Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia’ and by adopting a rolling 5-Year Implementation Plan for the SDS-SEA, which will also serve as the region’s roadmap towards a Blue Economy.”
Minister Kwon Do-youp of the MLTM said in a welcoming message, “The EAS Congress 2012 comes at a very unique time as Korea will also be hosting the International Exposition Yeosu 2012 under the theme The Living Ocean and Coast.’ We believe that the coastal and ocean environment and resources are critical to the overall development not only of our country but of the entire East Asian Seas region.”
The upcoming Congress will feature the Fourth Ministerial Forum, international conference, exhibition, and the Third EAS Youth Forum, as well as a special EAS Partnership Council Meeting, a PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) Forum, and many other activities.
Minister-level chief delegations from 14 PEMSEA member countries, including Korea, China, and Japan, have been invited and 100 Korean and foreign participants of the Third EAS Youth Forum have been selected as part of efforts to make the EAS Congress a success, MLTM officials said.
The triennial Congress, the largest international conference on the maritime environment in East Asia, which coincides with Expo 2012 Yeosu, will serve as an opportunity not only to strengthen solutions to maritime environment issues and promote collaboration in shared growth of the maritime economy of East Asia, but also to enhance Korea’s standing as a maritime powerhouse, the officials said. The keynote speakers of the plenary session will be Kim Jae-Chul, founder of Dong-won Industries, Co. Ltd., in 1969 and current chairman of the Dong-won Group; Lee Jong-chul, vice chairman of STX Corporation, CEO and vice chairman of STX Pan Ocean Co., Ltd., and chairman of the board of STX OSV Holdings; Awni Behnam, who joined the United Nations at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva in 1977; Chen Lianzeng, who is Deputy Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of China since 1999; and Rudolf Wu, the Chair Professor and the Director of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong.
The Fourth Ministerial Forum
The Ministerial Forum of the EAS Congress provides policy direction and commitments for improving and strengthening the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).
Through the Haikou and Manila Declaration, the countries of the region committed to the following targets:
1. A self-sustained and effective regional collaborative mechanism for SDS-SEA implementation.
2. National coastal and ocean policies and supporting institutional arrangements in place in at least 70 percent of partner countries.
3. ICM programs for the sustainable development of coastal and marine areas and climate change adaptation covering at least 20 percent of the region’s coastlines.
4. Progress report of ICM programs every three years, including climate change adaptation measures.
The Forum will also provide a venue to review progress made in the countries contributing to the SDS-SEA and to meeting various international agreements, as well as to emphasize the roles of the various agencies and stakeholders including the business and private sector in the advancement of the regional efforts toward a blue economy and sustainable East Asian Seas.
International Conference
The International Conference on Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Development towards a Blue Economy
Theme: “Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia”
The International Conference gathers various stakeholders including policymakers, resource and economic managers, business professionals, scientists, academia, local and international NGOs, youth and community representatives, and other members of civil society from within and outside the East Asian Seas region to engage in knowledge sharing and partnership building.
The International Conference will feature several major conference sub-themes that cover essential aspects of sustainable coastal and ocean development. A series of workshops, seminars and interactive sessions will be organized under each sub-theme, which will provide the participants of the Congress 2012 access to a wealth of experience and expertise in improved governance and management of the regional ocean and its resources.
With the theme “Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia,” the Congress 2012 will address the new opportunities for the ocean economy of East Asia, the range of partnerships that have developed and are required in order to realize the full potential of a blue economy, and the progress and achievements in governance of regional/sub-regional seas within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).
The International Conference program will build on the key outcomes of the EAS Congress 2009, as well as feature accomplishments in coastal and ocean governance and on-the ground management programs at the national, local, and sub-regional levels. It will also present new approaches, innovative technologies, and best practices that may be helpful in addressing some of the persistent and emerging challenges in the East Asian Seas region.
Third EAS Youth Forum
The 3rd East Asian Seas Youth Forum (YF3), scheduled from July 8-13, will carry the theme “Young Champions for the Oceans.” The YF3 can serve as a venue for promoting awareness and strengthening the role of the youth, and enhancing their leadership potential in ocean and coastal governance in the EAS region.
Exhibition
One hundred booths will be set up by exhibitors from Korea and abroad at the EAS Congress 2012 Exhibit. The EAS Congress 2012 hopes to further strengthen understanding and appreciation of various actions and innovations undertaken in line with sustainable development of coasts and oceans by integrating the environmental exhibition with workshop and seminar discussions. Thirty-seven Korean institutional exhibitors will participate in the exhibition, which will serve as an opportunity for exchanging innovative technologies related to coasts and the ocean; new approaches and good practices contributing and related to various aspects of coastal and ocean management and governance; social and cultural practices that contribute or relate to protection and development of coasts and oceans; ocean-based products; and climate change adaptation and integrated coastal management (ICM).
