ENB @ East Asian Seas Congress, Haikou, China, 12-16 December 2006

[The East Asian Seas Congress 2006]

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The East Asian Seas Congress
Haikou, China | 12-16 December, 2006

Ministers Sign Haikou Partnership Agreement

On Friday, the Ministerial Forum continued its work. In the morning, ministers and high-level officials from 11 PEMSEA member countries discussed the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). In the afternoon the signing ceremony of the Haikou Partnership Agreement on the implementation of SDS-SEA was held aboard a marine surveillance vessel that sailed in the Qiongzhou Strait, off the coast of Haikou City. The multidisciplinary expert group meeting and a session on capacity building for coastal and ocean governance also convened in the morning and afternoon.

Friday, 15 December
Ministerial Forum
Khieu Muth, Secretary of State for the Environment, Cambodia, stated that regional issues such as marine environmental degradation and resource depletion cannot be solved by any country alone, but require actions in partnership.	Chen Lianzheng, Deputy Administrator, State Oceanic Administration, China, emphasized the importance of consensus and cooperation in addressing marine issues in East Asian seas.	Hyong Jun Kim, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said the EAS Congress 2006 and the signing of the Haikou Partnership Agreement would be a turning point in the implementation of SDS-SEA.
Masnellyarti Hilman, Deputy Minister for Nature Conservation, Indonesia, noted that PEMSEA has been supporting ICRM work for many years.	Heizo Kito, Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan, underscored the contribution of PEMSEA and SDS-SEA to the sustainability of the world's oceans.	Noulinh Sinbandhit, Chairman, Water Resources Coordination Committee Secretariat, Lao People's Democratic Republic, highlighted his country's contribution to the sustainable development of the Mekong River Basin.
Angelo T. Reyes, Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines, underscored the importance of goods and services provided by coastal and marine ecosystems and lamented their degradation.	Eun Lee, Vice-Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Republic of Korea, stated that his country looks to the ocean to sustain future generations, and underscored international and regional action as a vital factor for achieving the protection of the marine environment.	Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore, spoke of the region's crucial shipping lanes, beautiful marine species, and wide range of coastal livelihoods.
Estanislau Aleixo da Silva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Timor-Leste, emphasized that sustainable management of water resources and oceans is vital for food security.	Dang Hung Vo, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam, said environmental management and protection have become "hot issues" in the National Assembly in recent years, highlighting the adoption of the Environment Protection Law.	Chua Thia-Eng, Regional Programme Director, PEMSEA, presented on challenges, responses, strategies and actions for the implementation of SDS-SEA.
Multidisciplinary Expert Group Meeting
Discussion in the Multidisciplinary Expert Group focused on: the purpose of the report; the appropriate level and target audience; the possibility of creating a web-based interactive database; availability of baseline and monitoring data; timeframes; and simplification of scientific and technical terms in the report.
Capacity Building for Coastal and Ocean Governance
Participants made a number of recommendations for PEMSEA, including: creating a web-based repository of "ICRM knowledge products"; organizing national and regional training courses, including on-site courses for local governments and practitioners, as well as "training of trainers"; scaling up efforts for degree training through a consortium; supporting a training networks linking academia, NGOs and practitioners; developing guidelines on competencies needed by ICRM managers; and conducting an analysis of supply and demand for ICRM practitioners.
Signing of the Haikou Partnership Agreement
Hosts of the Ministerial Forum welcomed ministers and witnessed the signing ceremony.
Ministers waited to sign the Agreement.
Ministers and witnesses toasted the successful signing of the Agreement.
Ministers also signed a world globe.	The signed globe was presented to Chua Thia-Eng.	Ministers chatted informally during the cruise.