PAMSEA (GEF/UNDP/IMO Regional Programme on Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia) organized 'The East Asian Seas Congress 2006' will be held in China. The 2006 Congress will feature the Ministerial Forum on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia and the International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Governance with the theme of "One Vision, Towards a Stronger Regional Alliance."

The first EAS (East Asia Seas) Congress was held in 2003, and highlighted the signing of the Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia by ministers from PAMSEA's 12 participating countries. It is noted that the five-day event, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, brought together various stakeholders from diverse disciplines to discuss the welfare of the East Asian Seas and to explore ways and means to ensure the sustainability of marine and coastal resources of the region. PEMSEA participating countries are China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, DPRK.

The 2006 EAS International Conference will hold workshops on several areas of interest such as;

- Port Safety, Security, Health and Environment
- The Economic Contribution of the Marine Sector
- Areas of Excellence and Scientific Support
- The Effective Management of Marine Protected Areas
- Community in Sustainable Development
- Innovative Financing for Waste Reduction
- Women and Youth in Environmental Management
- Advocacy and Leadership in Coastal and Ocean Management, and
- Regime-building in Coastal and Ocean Governance.

Recently, the PEMSEA expressed its wish that RCA experts would participate in the workshops, or to organize a separate session to introduce advantageous nuclear techniques for marine coastal environment.

A number of side events are also planned during the 2006 Congress. They are the Meeting of PEMSEA Partnership Council, the 5th Forum of the Regional Network of Local Government Implementing Integrated Coastal Management, the Financial Advisory Board on Environmental Investments Meeting, the Meeting of Experts, the Media Forum on Partnerships in Environmental Communication, and the Launching of the Regional C2C (Coasts to Coasts) Network.

For more information and for those organizations interested in being a partner for the EAS Congress, please write to info@pemsea.org