Events

Venue: Chelsea A, Berkeley Hotel, Bangkok

Time  : 13:30-15:30 (2hrs), 24 April 2024

Conveners:

Joana Akrofi, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Mahesh Pradhan, Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), UNEP

Objectives

Meeting Link
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/95525122243
Meeting ID: 955 2512 2243 Password: Ocean#2023

Bangkok Plastics Week is a series of capacity-building events that aim to share best practices, tools and approaches for data collection, analysis, and management of plastic pollution and marine litter to meet local and national needs, achieve regional priorities, and track progress against global goals. The events also provide a platform for networking, partnerships for collaboration, and peer learning.

An in-person consultation workshop to develop the new Strategic Directions 2023-2027 was requested by the resumed session of the Twenty-fifth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 25).

The workshop will conclude a year-long process of consultation toward developing the strategy to guide COBSEA activities. Participants will be invited to review the draft document and provide final inputs. Following the workshop, the final draft Strategic Directions will be disseminated for adoption via email correspondence, as per IGM 25 resolution 2.

Date: March 1-3

Location: Bangkok, Thailand and Online

Venue: United Nations Conference Center

COBSEA will host a workshop in collaboration with Blue Solutions Initiative to discuss draft findings of a marine and coastal spatial planning (MCSP) policy review currently under development. 

The virtual workshop will take place Thursday 20 May 14.00-16.00 ICT using MS Teams. 

COBSEA countries are invited to provide country presentations, which may include views on the draft study as well as views on possible MCSP-relevant future actions through COBSEA. 

A desk review is being carried out in order to compile available information on the main sources and impacts of nutrient pollution in the coastal and marine environment; prevention and reduction commitments, targets and measures; and related monitoring and assessment in COBSEA countries. This may be used by COBSEA countries to inform development and implementation of actions addressing nutrient pollution. The study is conducted in collaboration with the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM), with funding from the Ministry of Environment, Sweden. 

The regional training workshop is organized jointly with the Blue Solutions Initiative (a partnership between UNEP, GIZ, GRID-Arendal and IUCN, funded by the German Ministry of Environment) to advance marine and coastal spatial planning in the East Asian Seas region. The training will use interactive practical exercises to examine different elements of an ecosystem-based marine and coastal spatial planning process, in particular for protecting blue economy assets and their climate resilience.

The Regional Workshop on COBSEA Follow-up and Review of Ocean-related Sustainable Development Goals was held from 11-12 December 2019 in Manila, Philippines. The workshop was organized by COBSEA in collaboration with the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources to guide the Secretariat in the finalization of the COBSEA SDG Outlook document based on national reviews and consultations, for consideration at the 25th Intergovernmental Meeting of COBSEA.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held a Regional Policy Dialogue on “Harnessing the sustainable ocean economy in South East Asia” as part of its work to support partner countries in the region. The Dialogue was held on 3-4 December in Bali, Indonesia and co-hosted with the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investments of Indonesia, in co-operation with COBSEA. The Dialogue provided an opportunity to exchange on policy challenges and solutions to promote a sustainable ocean economy in South East Asia.