Vietnam affirms proactive involvement in marine environmental management issues in East Asia

The 17th Partnership Council (PC17) meeting of PEMSEA was conducted in Manila, Philippines, from July 22-23, employing a hybrid format that included both in-person and online components. International partners, regional organizations, and the marine business community, in addition to representatives from 11 member countries, attended the conference. The Vietnamese delegation, chaired by Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), participated in numerous events during the conference.

PEMSEA advances its coordinating role in the development of East Asian seas and coasts

Through its network of national and international partners, local governments, and other stakeholders (including coastal communities, international development agencies, regional programs, the private sector, investors, and donors), PEMSEA has implemented a variety of solutions and cooperative activities to effectively manage the region's seas and coasts through the SDS-SEA Strategy. This organization serves as a regional coordinating mechanism for the sustainable development of East Asian seas and coastal areas.

PEMSEA's network and partnerships have experienced a substantial expansion in 2024, with the addition of new members to both the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) and the PEMSEA Network of Learning Centers (PNLC). The Regional Guideline on Blue Carbon Audit Methodology, marine plastic reduction initiatives, and the development of an integrated river basin management framework were all initiated by PEMSEA. PEMSEA has exhibited its capacity to unite a variety of stakeholders in the East Asian seas region in pursuit of a common vision of thriving economies, people, and oceans.

PEMSEA's contributions and endeavors in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) 2023-2027 are greatly valued by representatives of member countries. They aspire for PEMSEA to continue to evolve, mobilize additional resources, and uphold its status as a regional organization that effectively coordinates activities for blue marine economic development, integrated coastal and marine management, and the promotion of capacity building and cooperation in emerging sectors such as blue carbon, marine biotechnology, eco-labeling, circular economy, and marine information and data services.

Vietnam's coentribution to the objective of "Healthy people, Healthy oceans, and Healthy economies"

The Vietnamese delegation actively engaged in activities and shared the outcomes of the implementation of Vietnam's "Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam's Marine Economy to 2030, Vision to 2045," the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment, the National Marine Spatial Plan for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050, the Master Plan for Sustainable Exploitation and Use of Coastal Resources for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050, and the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Waste Management to 2030 at this conference.

Notably, Vietnam updated information on its approval in June of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

Vietnam and other member countries have implemented a variety of solutions to speed up integrated coastal and marine management for sustainable development in the East Asian seas region, in accordance with the implementation plan of the SDS-SEA 2023-2027 and the Xiamen Ministerial Declaration signed in 2024. This adaption is in response to the effects of climate change.

The Vietnamese delegation participated in the Plenary Session to ratify the reports of the current Chair of the Council and the Executive Director of PEMSEA, as well as consultations to select members for the next term of the Partnership Council, as per the conference program. Mr. Le Dai Thang, the Deputy Head of the Department of Marine and Island Resources and Environmental Control at the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, was elected as the Chair of the Intergovernmental Session for the 2025-2028 term.

The Vietnamese delegation participated in extensive and substantive discussions on a variety of topics, including the evaluation of the content and progress of regional programs and projects related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs), the updating of the roadmap and mechanism of the blue carbon program, and regional cooperation on marine protected area networks in order to achieve the 30x30 target of protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. These discussions were held following the Technical Session.

This event is of significant significance to the Vietnamese delegation, as the country is actively and proactively engaging in comprehensive, extensive, flexible, and effective international integration in accordance with the spirit of the 13th National Congress of the Party. Vietnam's active and responsible participation and contributions to regional marine organizations such as PEMSEA are essential in order to establish itself as a strong marine nation that is prosperous from the sea, in addition to its tremendous marine potential.