NOWPAP congratulated the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) Project for its regional governance achievements on protecting the marine environment in the 5th Interim YSLME Commission Council (ICC) meeting which was held on October 19, 2020 virtually. Dr. Yegor Volovik stressed that YSLME is a long-time partner of NOWPAP. The two organizations have cooperated closely in the fields, such as addressing marine litter and biodiversity conservation. And the completing of a project is a new beginning for cross borders cooperation.
The first phase of the YSLME Project was launched in 2005, which facilitated the development of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Yellow Sea. The programme recommended specific management, legal, policy and institutional actions and reforms for China and Korea to address transboundary threats and promote sustainable management of the Yellow Sea’s resources. The second phase of the YSLME, which started in 2016, supported China and Korea to implement the SAP and the institutionalization of the YSLME Commission.
The 5th Interim YSLME Commission Council meeting served as the wrap-up meeting of the YSLME Phase II Project. It was highlighted that the collaboration with regional initiatives include NOWPAP has enhanced the likelihood that results achieved in the YSLME project will be sustained after the project closure. The meeting has also praised the best practices including the establishment of six regional Working Groups, establishing a network of National Coordinators, modern approaches to knowledge and information transfer, production of high-quality knowledge products, and stakeholder engagement among civil society organizations and private sector.
It was also pointed out that the Project scope was too broad, and the timeframe for project implementation was too short. It was highlighted as well that building upon the existing technical cooperation structures for the YSLME regional governance mechanism is sensible.
More information on this meeting could be found here.
