Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)

The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) is a regional intergovernmental mechanism bringing together nine countries – Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Viet Nam – in implementation of the Action Plan for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of the East Asian Seas Region (East Asian Seas Action Plan, adopted in 1981 and revised in 1994). COBSEA is one of 18 Regional Seas programmes, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and with its Secretariat based in Thailand.

Under Strategic Directions 2023-2027, COBSEA focus on three thematic programmes: 1) marine pollution prevention, reduction and control; 2) marine and coastal biodiversity, ecosystem conservation and management; and 3) ocean based climate action. This was developed by aligning with global and regional strategies, including UNEP’s Medim Term Strategy 2022-2025 and the Regional Seas Strategic Directions 2022-2025.
In April 2023, COBSEA participating countries adopted the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Framework which guides COBSEA activities towards the achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Under the overarching theme of Blue Economy, mechanisms include marine and coastal spatial planning, marine protected areas (including MPA networks and OECMs), and the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal habitats (coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and wetlands).

The Second Meeting of the COBSEA Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (WGMCE) was held on 21-22 October 2024 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, as a hybrid format, with participation of Working Group focal points and representatives of COBSEA countries.

The meeting discussed progress of marine and coastal ecosystems activities since the First Meeting of the WGMCE held on 13 September 2023 in Bali, Indonesia. The first biennial workplan 2025-2026 for the implementation of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Framework was developed during the WGMCE-2 and approved at the Twenty-sixth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 26) of the COBSEA on 23-25 October 2024 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

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