The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) is a regional intergovernmental policy forum and the sole decision-making body for the East Asian Seas Action Plan, with a mandate to coordinate coastal and marine initiatives in the region, facilitate policy development, and develop and implement related projects.
Strong partnerships with national and regional institutions and an institutional structure that evolves with regional priorities are key to fulfilling this mandate.
Intergovernmental Meeting of COBSEA
The overall authority to determine the content of the East Asian Seas Action Plan, to review its progress and to approve its workplan and budget, is vested in the meetings of participating country governments. The Intergovernmental Meeting of COBSEA (IGM) takes place biennially.
COBSEA Secretariat
The COBSEA Secretariat is hosted by Thailand in Bangkok and administered by UNEP. It acts as the Regional Coordinating Unit of COBSEA and provides overall technical coordination and supervision of the implementation of the Action Plan, including:
- co-ordinating the activities of government partners and other stakeholders in the region for a healthy marine environment,
- acting as a supervisory body for the implementation of COBSEA projects and activities,
- and facilitating knowledge sharing among participating countries and across regions, including with other Regional Seas programmes.
Contact the COBSEA Secretariat at unep-cobsea@un.org
Trust Fund
The East Asian Seas Trust Fund was established in 1982 to provide financial support for the Action Plan. Through contributions made by participating countries, the Trust Fund supports core functions of COBSEA including the Secretariat and Intergovernmental Meetings.
Regional Activity Centre(s)
Regional Activity Centres (RACs) provide a means to support and supplement efforts by governments and other partners towards the implementation of the Action Plan. RACs are autonomous, international or regional organizations, or national institutions, that coordinate or carry out specific technical functions and activities in support of the Action Plan and decisions of IGM. RACs are established by and operate under the overall authority of the IGM and the guidance of the COBSEA Secretariat.
The 24th IGM encouraged Indonesia to further develop the Regional Capacity Centre for Clean Seas (RC3S) toward becoming a COBSEA RAC to support regional capacity building on marine litter.
Working Group on Marine Litter
The 24th IGM of COBSEA in June 2019 in Bali, Indonesia, adopted the revised Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI) and established a Working Group on Marine Litter (WGML). The WGML provides strategic and technical support to the IGM and the COBSEA Secretariat, and facilitates information exchange and regional cooperation towards the implementation of the RAP MALI.
Read more about COBSEA's Marine Litter and Marine Pollution's work.
Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems
On adoption of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (MCE) Framework in 2023, a Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (WGMCE) was established to guide and coordinate COBSEA’s programme of work on marine and coastal ecosystems. WGMCE provides expert guidance on marine and coastal ecosystems for the East Asian Seas, including, but not limited to, marine and coastal spatial planning, marine protected areas, and the different marine and coastal habitats (e.g., coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, coastal wetlands) that is included in the COBSEA Strategic Directions 2023-2027 and future related projects and activities.
Read more about COBSEA’s Marine and Coastal Ecosystem’s work.
