Virtual platform
Kuala Lumpur, 23 – 24 June 2022
The Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA), in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Malaysia and the European Union (EU) Delegation to Malaysia, hosted the virtual Seminar on Enhancing the Area of Ocean Governance of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through Dialogue from 23 to 24 June 2022. The webinar was well attended by more than 100 participants comprising representatives from the relevant Ministries, embassies and other stakeholders from the region and beyond.
The Seminar was graced by the presence of – Ambassador of the European Union to Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Michalis Rokas; Ambassador of France to Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Roland Galharague; Director General of MIMA, Datuk Dr. Sabirin Jaafar, along with other dignitaries and delegates.
His Excellency Mr. Michalis Rokas, His Excellency Mr. Roland Galharague, and Datuk Dr. Sabirin Jaafar during the Opening Session.
The importance of the oceans to stabilise the climate and its function to balance human needs in terms of economic resources and the planet’s life support system is undeniable. Unfortunately, we are observing ever increasing threats that pose extinction risk and cause destruction to the marine life and ecosystems, and ultimately endangers human existence. Ocean Governance is therefore also one of the seven priority areas of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as published in September 2021.
Group picture (moderators, speakers, panellists and coordinators) from Day 1 and 2 of the Seminar.
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has been widely promoted as a management tool for implementing ecosystem-based management in the marine environment, reducing user conflict, enhancing environmental protection, and facilitating maritime economies’ expansion. Opportunities and challenges for blue economy for sustainable development, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, is vital in ensuring oceans health, human wellbeing and survival. Over the two days schedule, the Seminar therefore highlighted the following discussion themes i.e., (i) MSP and marine protected areas (MPAs) conservation, (ii) MSP and its potential contribution towards blue economy, (iii) Community engagement to implement MSP at the local scale, as well as (iv) MSP at a regional scale and its challenges in transboundary approaches.
This Seminar successfully gathered experts from related marine research fields from Europe and South East Asia to exchange views on finding solutions to address the pressing issues by discussing ocean governance through the adoption and implementation of MSP and sustainable blue economy approaches. The primary aim of the forum was to gauge views, perspectives and case examples of MSP implementation in Europe, and how that could assist the Indo-Pacific region in efforts towards consolidating marine ecosystems and resources governance, as well as communities’ wellbeing especially in the areas of MPAs management, contribution towards blue economies, stakeholders’ engagement, as well as transboundary approaches to address related challenges.
Case examples from European and Southeast Asian regions were highlighted during the programme
An outcome report from the Seminar will be released in due course.
The compilation of presentations delivered during the forum is included here Presentation Powerpoint
