Annual Global Meeting of the 21st Regional Seas Program

The Regional Seas Program have come together in Berlin, discussing the new Regional Seas Strategic Directions as well the implementation of the 2017-2020 Strategic Directions.

The 21st Annual Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Program started its work on 3 October 2019 in Berlin, Germany. This meeting which is organized by UN Environment and hosted by the Secretariat of the Helsinki Convention, will deliberate among others on implementation of the Regional Seas Strategic Directions 2017-2020 and initiate dialogue for a new strategic directions post 2010; review progress on implementation the voluntary commitments from the 2017 UN Ocean Conference and Regional Seas input to the June 2020 UN Ocean Conference. The meeting also will have input to the implementation plan of the New Marine and Costal Strategy for UNEP 2020-2030.

Director General of SACEP Dr. Abas Basir addressing the meeting highlighted the importance of this meeting said that under each goal of the 2017-2020 Strategic Directions, SACEP has conducted many activities which include but not limited to:

• Development of Regional Marine Litter Action plan and facilitating its implementation at national level;
• Development of Regional Oil and Chemical Pollution Contingency Plan and coordination between the SACEP marine member countries on its implementation;
• Development of Marine and Costal Biodiversity Strategy;
• Development of South Asia Roadmap on Sustainable Waste management;
• Working on South Asia Framework Policy on Nitrogen Management based on scientific studies that would be conducted by South Asia Nitrogen HUB.
• BOBLME 2nd part
• Healthy Landscape project; a national pilot project which will then be replicated at reginal level
• Celebrating International Costal Clean-up day