Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum Toolkit - PEMSEA.org

Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum
The East Asian Seas Congress
The East Asian Seas Congress serves as a platform for
governments and organizations around the East Asian region
to share knowledge and experiences in the sustainable
development of the Seas of East Asia.
Held every three years, the Congress gathers various
government agencies, international organizations, research
institutions, private companies and community-based groups to
form partnerships and discuss the challenges, opportunities and
effective strategies in protecting the Seas of East Asia.
Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum: Young Champions for the Oceans
Now on its third cycle, the EAS Youth Forum is convened to
strengthen the role of young people in protecting the ocean and
coasts of East Asia. The EAS Youth Forum also aims to enhance
the awareness and to develop the potentials of the youth of
East Asia as future leaders and advocates in coastal and ocean
management and governance.
From 45 youth participants in 2006, the network grew with the
addition of 99 participants in the 2009 EAS Youth Forum. The
outputs of the two previous Forums included the Youth Agenda
2006, the Youth Statement 2009, as well as the Handbook for
Youth, Oceans and Climate Change. The Youth Agenda 2006
was a document prepared during the First EAS Youth Forum
(YF1), which consists of the delegates’ action plans. The Youth
Statement 2009, on the other hand, was a declaration of
commitment among the delegates of the Second EAS Youth
Forum (YF2), including proposed youth action plans. The
Handbook forYouth, Oceans and Climate Change served as a
program guide and workbook for the YF2 delegates.
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Starting in 2003, three EAS Congresses had been organized to
strengthen the regionwide network advocating effective and
sustainable coastal and ocean governance. Previous Congresses
were held in Putrajaya, Malaysia (2003), Haikou City, China (2006)
and Manila, Philippines (2009).
With the theme “Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities
and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia,” the EAS Congress 2012
will be held on July 9 to 13, 2012 in Changwon City, Republic of
Korea.
The YF3 has 101 participants, 50 of which will be from 11
countries in the EAS region including Cambodia, China,
Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Fifty-one participants are
representatives of various environmental youth groups from RO
Korea.
The Third EAS Youth Forum carries the theme, “Young Champions
for the Oceans” and aims to:
a. Promote awareness on ocean and coastal governance
among the youth;
b. Identify actions/activities that the youth can engage in
sustaining coastal and marine ecosystem services in the
EAS region;
c. Provide participants with practical knowledge, skills and
materials that they can apply and contribute to achieving
sustainable development of the marine and coastal
environment;
d. Build a pool of inspired youth in pursuing ocean and
coastal management endeavours;
e. Strengthen and sustain the online network of the EAS
Youth Network (EASYNet); and
f. Encourage the participation of more individuals and youth
organizations in EASYNet.