Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)

ST 2.6: Harmonizing Oceans: Transboundary Strategies for Climate Resilience in North-East Asia

Overview

The East Asia region, home to a diverse array of marine ecosystems and species, faces significant challenges exacerbated by climate change. These challenges include habitat loss, biological pollution from invasive alien species and harmful algal blooms, and threats to marine species from both human and natural stressors. Effective marine conservation efforts transcend national boundaries and require robust transboundary cooperation and multi-layered stakeholder engagement, from regional, national and local governments to MPA managers, research institutions, and local communities. This holistic approach resonates with the Congress theme “Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean”.

The urgent needs for climate resilience are amplified through international and regional forums. Such calls include the resolution on regional cooperation to accelerate climate action on oceans in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable development adopted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), contributing to, for example, the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life under water) and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.

Against this backdrop, the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and ESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia jointly organize a session titled “Harmonizing Oceans: Transboundary Strategies for Climate Resilience in North-East Asia”. This session will highlight the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) under CMSP (Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning) regime in North-East Asia in fostering regional resilience against climate impacts and promoting ecosystem conservation. The discussion outcomes are expected to contribute to the healthy ocean as identified in the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia Implementation Plan 2023-2027.

In this session / side event, key topics will include:

  • Understanding Climate Change Impacts: Examining how climate change affects marine ecosystems in this region.
  • Applying CMSP Strategies: Sharing successful CMSP strategies and their role in climate-related conservation efforts (e.g., blue carbon, community-led habitat restoration).
  • Enhancing Transboundary Cooperation: Discussing how multi-stakeholder engagement can strengthen regional conservation initiatives.

Additionally, the session will underscore capacity building and knowledge exchange, providing a platform for member States and relevant stakeholders to share best practices and enhance skills for managing MPAs and addressing regional marine environmental challenges. Insights from the North-East Asian Marine Protected Areas Network (NEAMPAN).

NEAMPAN aims to establish an effective, functional representative network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the subregion for conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity and more efficient MPA management. As of May 2024, NEAMPAN has 12 designated MPA sites across five member States in North-East Asia. It will be crucial, reflecting the collective experience of MPAs from five member States (China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation) under the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC).

Program

TIME AGENDA
10:00 – 10:10 Opening Remarks

· Korea Maritime Institute

· ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office

Group photo
10:10 – 11:00 Presentations

Moderator: Mr. Jungho Nam, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Maritime Institute

· Ms. Jiyoon Kim, Senior Researcher, Korea Maritime Institute

· Mr. Zhang Zhaohui, Research Professor, First Institute of Oceanography, China

· Ms. Mi-Jin Lee, Research Associate, ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office

· Ms. Maeve Nightingale, Senior Programme Officer, IUCN Asia
11:00 – 11:50 Panel Discussion

· Ms. Margarita Victoria Caballa, Programme Associate, Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)

· Ms. Casandra Tania, UNDP/GEF ATSEA-2’s Regional Biodiversity Specialist

· Mr. Xinping Chen, Senior Researcher, Marine Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Division, National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service of Ministry of Natural Resources, China
11:50 – 12:00 Closing
26 August, 2024

ST 4.1: Marine Litter Fund Forum

Overview

Marine plastic litter has emerged as a significant global environmental challenge that demands immediate and effective intervention. The East Asian Seas region is a major contributor to marine plastic litter, due to factors such as high population density, rapid urbanization, and inadequate waste management systems. Consequently, this region is responsible for over 50% of the world’s marine plastic litter. Given the interconnected nature of marine ecosystems, addressing this issue requires coordinated and collaborative efforts among neighboring countries. Effective collaboration between developed and developing nations that share these marine resources is crucial, especially in supporting countries that lack the necessary technical, policy, and economic capacities to tackle the problem independently.

Despite the severity of the marine litter problem, international cooperation remains insufficient, and this is particularly true in the East Asian Seas region. It is time to move beyond merely recognizing the issue and to implement concrete, actionable solutions. Establishing a fund as a first step will be a practical measure to achieve tangible results. Given the substantial contributions to marine litter from the East Asian Seas region, there is an urgent need to discuss the formation of a fund to enhance international cooperation in this domain.

In response, Korea Maritime Institute, COBSEA, PEMSEA, and the World Bank are jointly organizing this forum to foster international cooperation on marine litter and to discuss the establishment of a dedicated fund. We anticipate that this forum will serve as a crucial foundational step in deliberating the necessary funding mechanisms to jointly address the marine litter issue in the East Asian Seas region.

Purpose 

The purpose of this forum is to share the necessity of establishing a fund among neighboring countries to address the marine litter problem in the East Asian region and to discuss strategies for fund-raising through cooperation. Through these efforts, we aim to strengthen international cooperation for the protection of the marine environment and sustainable development. The specific objectives are as follows:

  1. Sharing Trends and Policies on Marine Litter in East Asian Seas region: Discussing the current state of marine litter pollution, the policies implemented to address it, and the status of international cooperation to reassess the severity of the issue and emphasize the necessity of collective response.
  2. Examining International Cooperation Efforts: Analyzing funding strategies and the effectiveness of international cooperation through case studies from the World Bank, and discussing the implications for East Asia.
  3. Exploring the Marine Plastic Value Chain: Investigating areas for collaboration based on the analysis of the marine plastic value chain, which constitutes most of the marine litter.
  4. Reviewing Private Fund Trends and Potential: Examining the trends and future potential of private funds in addressing marine litter, focusing on initiatives by financial institutions involved in the UNEP Finance Initiative.
  5. Assessing International Cooperation and Fundraising Case Studies: Reviewing the current state of international cooperation on marine litter in East Asia and exploring case studies of international environmental funds to propose possible directions for establishing a marine litter fund.

Programme

TIME AGENDA
1400 – 1430 Registration
1430 – 1450​ Opening Ceremony

Opening Address

  • Jung Hee, Cho, Vice President, Korea Maritime Institute

Welcome Address

  • Aimee Gonzales, Executive Director, PEMSEA
  • Mahesh Pradhan, Coordinator, Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)

Group Photo
1450 – 1605 Presentations:

Presentation 1: Current State of Marine Litter in East Asia

  • Xinhong Wang, Professor, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University

Presentation 2: World Bank’s Marine Litter Fundraising and International Cooperation Cases

  • Giovanni Ruta, Lead Environmental Economist, World Bank Group

Presentation 3: Areas of International Cooperation from the Perspective of the Marine Plastic Value Chain

Presentation 4: Initiative to Combat Marine Litter and Beat Plastic Pollution

  • Liu Yue, Manager, Green Finance Department of Xiamen Bank

Presentation 5: Directions for Establishing a Fund to Achieve a Plastic-Free East Asian Sea

  • Yoonjung Lee, Associate Research Fellow, Korea Maritime Institute
1605 – 1630 Break
1630 – 1720 Panel Discussion

Moderator

  • Maeve Nightingale, Senior Programme Officer, IUCN

Panels

  • Panel 1. Mahesh Pradhan, Coordinator, COBSEA
  • Panel 2. Anders Poulsen, Senior Project Manager, SCS SAP Project
  • Panel 3. Sung-Jin Cho, Senior Researcher, Korea Maritime Institute
1720 – 1730 Closing and Closing Remarks

 

23 August, 2024