Events

SEA of Solutions 2021

Theme: “Accelerating solutions to reduce plastic waste”

When: 16-18 November 2021

Where: Virtual

Register now at: https://sos2021.sea-circular.org/register/ 

Background

This 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) on promoting a Sustainable Ocean Economy in the East Asian Seas.  This training builds on COBSEA's past MCSP work and trainings held in partnership with Blue Solutions and utilizes an interactive training module developed by the Blue Solution Initiative to examine different elements of Sustainable Ocean Economy and discussion needs specific action in each country.

The Twenty-fifth Meeting of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) will be held in two parts, with the first part scheduled for 8-9 September 2021 as a virtual meeting, hosted by the Government of Viet Nam.  The second part will be held in-person in Viet Nam in early 2022.

The COBSEA Secretariat hosts a webinar series on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, providing a platform for dialogue on how COBSEA can be leveraged to support countries during the development, delivery and tracking of the Framework. 

The third webinar will be held Thursday 8 July 2021, 14.00-15.30 ICT.    

In preparation for the Twenty-fifth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 25) of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), the Third Meeting of the COBSEA Working Group on Marine Litter was held virtually on 29 and 30 June 2021.

The “Building Back Bluer through Oceans” Special Session on SDG 14 “Life below Water” is part of the Green Future Session preceding the P4G Seoul Summit 2021. Effectively tackling plastic pollution and its impacts is dependent on improving urban solid waste management (Goal 11), with a systemic shift toward prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of plastic products, in line with international frameworks (Goal 12), and also requires addressing wastewater as a vector (Goal 6).

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. 

Monitoring and assessment are indispensable in identifying marine litter status and trends and its most critical impacts, and to support development, tracking and evaluation of policy and management interventions. The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI) recognizes the need to improve knowledge on the main types, sources and amounts of litter that enter the marine and coastal environment in line with globally established guidelines.

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 two-day virtual Regional Ocean Policy Dialogue on 15 and 16 December 2020 will explore the interlinked issues of policy coherence, sustainable ocean finance and marine plastics pollution in Southeast Asia. The Dialogue will be co-hosted by the OECD together with the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investments, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).