1B Meeting Room

ST 1.1: Part 1: From Ratification to Implementation: Asia High-Level Dialogue on the High Seas Treaty; Part 2. From Ratification to Implementation: A deep-dive on the High Seas Treaty, Part V: Capacity-building and Transfer of Marine Technology

Partners

  • Blue Nature Alliance
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature
  • Oceans5
  • Sustainable Ocean Alliance

Overview

On 19 June 2023, the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) adopted the BBNJ Agreement by consensus. The historic adoption followed 19 years of negotiations. Under the Agreement, 60 ratifications are needed for it to enter into force.

In the East Asian Seas region, there are eight (8) countries who already signed the Agreement (People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam), with Singapore and Timor-Leste being among the first countries in the region to become Parties to the Agreement. Under the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), the thrusts of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) align with the principles of the Agreement in promoting ocean governance to ensure the sustainable development of the coastal and marine resources in the region. As nations set their national targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Agreement is essential to ensuring the achievement of the 30×30 ocean targets.

THE AGREEMENT 

The Agreement is the first comprehensive treaty on the high seas. It covers marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact  assessments; capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.

OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACTS

Recognizing PEMSEA’s role as a regional coordinating mechanism in the East Asian Seas region, High Seas Alliance (HSA), along with Oceans5, Blue Nature Alliance, Sustainable Ocean Alliance and IUCN, is co-organizing a two-part side event to engage different levels of stakeholders in a dialogue about the Agreement focusing on the perspective of Asian countries.

PART ONE

From Ratification to Implementation: 

Asia High-Level Dialogue on the High Seas Treaty

A side event at the East Asian Seas Congress 2024

07 November 2024 | 10:00 AM to 11:05 AM

1 B Meeting Room, Xiamen International Conference Center Hotel

The high-level side event aims to engage ministers, senior government officials, and the heads of delegation in a 1-hour high-level dialogue that aims to sustain the momentum of support from the national government leaders to sign and ratify the High Seas Treaty. The dialogue aims to revisit the commitments of the countries and explore opportunities to assist the countries in the ratification and preparation for the implementation.

PARTICIPANTS

Two representatives from each country, to be led by the Minister/Deputy Minister, will be invited to participate in the high-level dialogue. The heads of agencies of key regional partners will also be invited to the event. While this is open to the participants of the EAS Congress, only the invited high-level officials, designated by their respective countries, can provide intervention.

RUN OF THE SHOW

*Event moderated by Rizza Sacra-Dejucos, Asia Regional Coordinator of High Seas Alliance

10:00 AM Welcome Messages

Dr. Vann Monyneath

East Asian Seas Partnership Council Chair

Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Environment, Cambodia

 

Rebecca Hubbard

Director, High Seas Alliance

10:05 AM The High Seas Treaty: A Milestone Unlike Any Other (video presentation)
10:10 AM Keynote Speech

Her Excellency Rena Lee

Ambassador for International Law

Republic of Singapore

10:22 AM Opening intervention for the Signing of the Treaty Champions Declaration

Her Excellency Aishath Inaya

Deputy Minister

Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy

Republic of Maldives

10:32 AM Intervention from the Ministers/Head of Delegation from the East Asian Seas countries and Signing of the Treaty Champions Declaration
10:55 AM Closing Intervention from the French Government
11:05 AM Photo Op/End of event


PART TWO

A deep dive on the High Seas Treaty, Part V: Capacity-building and Transfer of Marine Technology

07 November 2024 | 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

1B Meeting Room, Xiamen International Conference Center Hotel

The technical session is a knowledge-sharing that targets key sectors, institutions, and leaders engaged in marine conservation in the East Asian Seas region to gather more public support on the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement by 2025.

The session is expected to:

  1. Raise awareness and understanding on the salient points and key principles of the BBNJ Agreement, with focus on Part V: Capacity-building and Transfer of Marine Technology.
  2. Increase appreciation of the need to swiftly ratify the Treaty, which can lead to growing participation of key sectors/organisation supporting governments of Asian countries in the #RaceForRatification and preparation for implementation.

PARTICIPANTS

The session is open to all participants of the EAS Congress 2024. Approximately 50 participants from different countries and sectors are expected to join the session including the co-convener of the session, moderator/facilitator, and resource persons/experts.

SPEAKERS

The technical session will be moderated by HSA, with a set of speakers and experts from Asia and other regions who will share insights and deep dive into the opportunities and prospects in the region in putting into practice the Part V of the BBNJ Agreement: Capacity-building and Transfer of Marine Technology.

RUN OF THE SHOW

Programme moderated by Moderator: J. Charles Fox, Executive Director, Oceans5

5 minutes Opening and Preliminary

  • Brief introduction about HSA
  • House Rules
15 minutes BBNJ Agreement: An overview and the Status of Ratification in Asia

Rizza Sacra-Dejucos, Asia Regional Coordinator, High Seas Alliance

60 minutes Deep dive on the Capacity-building and Transfer of Marine Technology: What’s in it for the Asian countries?

The CBTMT Chapter Explained: Priorities and Challenges in Asia

Mr. Daniel Kachelriess, Cross-Cutting Coordinator, High Seas Alliance (online)

Implementing Part V: CBTMT at National Levels

Ms. Sheena Talma, DPhil Fellow, University of Oxford; Talma Consultancy Director, Ocean Voices Fellow (online)

Enabling Capacity and Resources of Big Ocean States: A Case of Maldives

Ms. Hawwa Nabaaha Nashid, Conservation Officer, Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of Maldives

Strengthening CBTMT through Regional Cooperation

Ms. Claud Binondo, Project Development Division Director, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity

The Role of Finance Mechanism in implementing CBTMT

Mr. Ryan Dolan, Site Engagement Co-lead, Blue Nature Alliance

High Seas MPA Accelerator

Ms. Rebecca Hubbard, Director, High Seas Alliance

35 minutes Panel Discussion
5 minutes Closing of the session

 

RSVP: https://bit.ly/easbbnjevent

Contact: rizza@highseasalliance.org

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