The East Asian Seas Congress

With the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, and specifically Sustainable Development Goal 14 on Life Below Water, oceans have gained political, social, economic and ecological prominence that the world has never seen before.

The EAS region is one with all regions and nations in keeping this momentum going and growing. Building on the voluntary commitments and call for action of the UN Ocean Conference in June 2017, the region is gearing up for the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2018, the sixth in a series of EAS triennial ocean conferences that aims to usher in a better, stronger and smarter regional actions that are strategically aligned with the key principles and targets of the global ocean agenda.

Carrying the theme, “25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda”, the EAS Congress 2018 is open to a broad range of stakeholders including National and Local Governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, bilateral and multi-lateral projects, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, and other actors.

The EAS Congress 2018 aims to involve all relevant stakeholders to:

• Map and align the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) and other sub-regional and regional strategies and action plans with the SDG 14 targets

• Share experiences and assess challenges and opportunities relating to the implementation of the SDS-SEA at the regional, national and local levels including innovative policies and technologies, good management practices, and investment opportunities

• Build on existing partnerships and achievements and promote new initiatives, investments and partnerships to accelerate the achievement of national, regional and global targets for sustainable development of oceans and coasts

• Track Blue Economy development and growth across the region with the launching of national, sub-regional and regional State of Oceans and Coasts Reports

• Contribute to the planning and development of an ocean investment facility and fund to leverage increased public and private sector investments in ocean-based blue economy development and growth