Annex 2. Strategic Partnership Resolution (provided by PEMSEA)
RESOLUTION
IN SUPPORT OF THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LMEs OF THE SEAS OF EAST ASIA
GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme on Building Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
The countries of the East Asian Seas Region have agreed to implement the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), with signature of the Putrajaya Declaration during the Ministerial Forum in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 12 December 2003. The Ministerial Forum recognized that the SDS-SEA represents a new paradigm for regional cooperation, providing an overarching framework and platform for addressing transboundary issues affecting sustainable development of the large marine ecosystems of East Asia. The ministers also recognized that a long term stakeholder partnership arrangement is the effective mechanism to foster and sustain the implementation of the SDS-SEA.
Following the Putrajaya Declaration, efforts to forge strategic partnerships for the SDS-SEA implementation have been initiated through the joint efforts of GEF, UNDP, World Bank (WB) and PEMSEA. The Strategic Partnership is intended to promote and formalize operating partnership arrangements amongst concerned stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, donors, private sector and other entities from all sectors of society from within and outside of the East Asian region, to individually and collectively implement action plans contained in the SDS-SEA.
The outcome of these early efforts is an initial Strategic Partnership arrangement involving PEMSEA participating countries, GEF, UNDP, and WB to undertake two related and mutually supportive projects, namely:
(a) GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA project on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia. This project focuses on facilitating the implementation of the SDS-SEA through mobilization of the necessary partnership arrangements and operating mechanisms, intellectual capital, support services and resources for achieving a shared vision of sustainable use of coastal and marine resources of the region and related targets identified in the WSSD Plan of Implementation. This will be achieved by assisting the countries to develop coastal and ocean policy reforms, scaling up integrated coastal management (ICM) programme implementation, adopting ecosystem-based management of coastal seas and their watersheds, mobilizing diversified human and financial resources especially through the promotion of environmental investments, and strengthening the information gathering and dissemination base among partners in order to enhance the participation of an informed public; and
(b) World Bank/GEF Partnership Investment Fund for Pollution Reduction in the Large Marine Ecosystems of East Asia. The WB/GEF project is designed to enhance public and private sector investment in innovative and cost-effective technical, institutional and financial mechanisms for pollution reduction within the LMEs of East Asia. The Partnership Investment Fund would: i) provide grants to eligible projects that are able to demonstrate innovative technical, institutional or financial mechanisms to combat land-based water pollution; and ii) support a Project Preparation Revolving Fund for the purpose of assisting small cities and peri-urban communities to gain access to financing sources for pollution reduction facilities and services. The grant and revolving fund mechanisms would focus on projects that have a high likelihood of replicability and scalability in a specific country or across the region. Overall, the Partnership Investment Fund would serve to leverage investments by national and local governments, international financial institutions, commercial banks, and other private sector groups, contributing to SDS-SEA objectives covering land-based pollution prevention and reduction in the LMEs of East Asia.
In view of the above, the PEMSEA Programme Steering Committee at its 11th Meeting endorses the Strategic Partnership approach to achieve a synergistic, multiplier and cumulative effect of partnership programmes and projects, as well as any other efforts that contribute to the shared vision of the SDS-SEA, as contained in the document “Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Development of LMEs of the Seas of East Asia (PSC/05/DOC/12), and therefore declares its unanimous support to:
§ The GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA Project on the Implementation of the SDS-SEA as embodied in the approved Project Pipeline Concept; and
§ The World Bank/GEF Partnership Investment Fund for Pollution Reduction in the Large Marine Ecosystems of East Asia, as embodied in the World Bank paper, Attachment 2 of PSC/05/DOC/12.
The participating governments agree to do their utmost in facilitating the application of the Strategic Partnership concept and approach at all levels in project development and implementation for the purpose of the SDS-SEA.
The participating governments also request the PEMSEA Regional Programme Office to strengthen its collaboration with the GEF, UNDP, the World Bank and other concerned partners and stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of the WB/GEF Partnership Investment Fund, and all future Strategic Partnership programmes and projects for the implementation of the SDS-SEA.
Unanimously approved by the 11th Programme Steering Committee of the GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme on Building Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, on the 3rd of August 2005, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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