Events

Date: 20-22 July 2026
Location: Bangkok
Venue: tbc

BACKGROUND

The Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) in the East Asian Seas host some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity and most productive waters. At the same time, the region is densely populated, fast-growing, and highly vulnerable. Many coastal nations rely heavily on the ocean for food security, employment, economic development, and cultural identity. Yet competition among various sectors for ocean space is escalating.

The Eighth Meeting of the COBSEA Working Group on Marine Litter (WGML-8) will review progress in implementing the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI), including updates on activities and implementation of the approved biennial workplan 2025-2026.

Background

Under the umbrella of ENVIROTECH 2026: Indonesia International Environment Technology and Innovation Expo & Conference, held in conjunction with World Environment Day (WED) and World Ocean Day 2026 (WOD), COBSEA will contribute to two events at the Jakarta Convention Center as part of Indonesia’s WED and WOD 2026 celebrations.

Join us 16 April 2026 (15.00 BKK time)

Please register using this link: WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Blue Climate Action in the East Asian Seas Region 

Background: 

The Philippines is an archipelagic nation characterized by a unique and highly diverse marine environment. With approximately 13% land area and 87% marine waters, the country’s geography is fundamentally ocean-based. About 78% of provinces and 56% of cities and municipalities lie along the coast, making the well-being of our marine ecosystems closely linked to the livelihood, food security, and resilience of millions of Filipinos.

Date: 07-09 October 2025
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand 

The Asia Pacific Workshop aims to guide countries in integrating the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) to the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans. COBSEA will ensure that the marine and coastal ecosystems priorities are incorporated in this process.

The East Asian Seas & Pacific region will host the third regional Global Fund for Coral Reef (GFCR) workshop, following the inaugural workshop in the Caribbean (Mexico, October 2024) and the second in the Western Indian Ocean (Zanzibar, February 2025). 

The East Asian Seas region consists of one of the most biologically diverse marine areas in the world and their ecosystem services constitute a critically important blue economy asset to the region. However, pressures from human activities and climate change pose significant challenges to the coastal and marine environment, dependent people and economic activities. Policy and management responses that address current pressures while anticipating future change is critical to meet global, regional and national ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation targets.

The Third Meeting of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (WGMCE-3) will review progress of the biennial workplan 2025-26 for the implementation of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Framework as endorsed by COBSEA’s Twenty-sixth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 26) last October.

The meetings of the Task Force for the Strengthening of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) are scheduled through the five online meetings and two in-person meetings. The members of the COBSEA Task Force agreed on the Terms of Reference of the COBSEA Task Force and the practical timeline for its work, in the lead up to IGM27 in late 2026.

COBSEA Task Force Inception Meeting (TF1)