By Cindy Ferrer/PNA
ILOILO CITY — The 11 countries bordering the seas in East Asia adopted the Iloilo Declaration titled “East Asian Region Moving as One to Secure Healthy Oceans, People and Economies” on Thursday.
The signing of the declaration was the highlight of the 6th Ministerial Forum on the East Asian Seas Congress 2018, held in this city on November 27-30.
The 11 ministers, who adopted the declaration, represented Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines – all members of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).
In a press conference, Aimee Gonzales, executive director of PEMSEA, presented the declaration as a “key component of PEMSEA that provides policy direction and commitments for improving and strengthening the implementation of the SDS-SEA (Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia).”
The three-page declaration shows the commitment of the ministers to achieve the remaining targets under the “Da Nang Compact by 2021” and provide regular update of the State of the Oceans and Coasts Report (SOC).
In the “Da Nang Compact”, they targeted to achieve the 25-percent Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) coverage of the region’s coastlines and the adoption and implementation of ICM national laws and policies in all countries in the region.
They also vowed to provide voluntary country contributions to PEMSEA operations beyond 2019 and support transition to blue economy investments or the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and the health of the ecosystem, at the national and local level.
They also aim to reduce or prevent all kinds of marine pollution and implement policies and programs for the sustainable management of coastal tourism destinations.
The ministers, who stressed that “ourselves” is the “biggest threat”, have to shift to a mindset of responsible stewardship and take bold steps to protect, manage and restore our coasts, as well engage citizens in the East Asia and people in other regions to work together for healthy oceans, people and economy.
Meanwhile, Gonzales said the ministerial declaration was “not just an outcome of the Congress.”
“It is actually our marching orders to move forward and actually develop a work plan. So we will develop a work plan in the next three years and we already have a draft. We just need to refine it a bit so that we could focus on the seven priority areas that are actually also in our shared development strategy for us to fine tune it also,” she said.
They will be reporting the progress from the Iloilo Declaration during their next Congress in 2021, Gonzales added.
Antonio Laviña, chairman of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council, shared the same insights with Gonzales.
He said the declaration is not just a call of action but a plan.
“It is actually commitments and a commitment to monitor and deliver and every three years, we actually review what we have done,” he said.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, in his message delivered by Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia, dubbed the signing of the Iloilo declaration a “victory.”
“We were able to rally our partner countries to coming together and agree to our vision for a sustainable future for our people,” he said.
He then expressed his deepest gratitude to the 11 countries for affirming their commitments towards healthy oceans, people and economists.
The Congress ends on Friday with a one-day tour around Iloilo and the island-province of Guimaras.
