Implementation of Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA)

The proposed project is an essential component of the early implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). The objectives of the project are to support country and stakeholder momentum towards full implementation of the SDS-SEA in the priority areas of: •Operationalizing a country-owned regional mechanism, consisting of a PEMSEA Partnership Council, a PEMSEA Resource Facility, a regional Partnership Fund, and a tri-annual East Asian Seas Congress to oversee, guide, coordinate and monitor the full implementation of the SDS-SEA; •Developing and implementing national policies and action plans for sustainable coastal and ocean development in at least 70% of PEMSEA countries by 2015; •Scaling up ICM programmes at the national and sub-national levels, targeting coverage of at least 20% of the region’s coastlines by 2015, including reduction of vulnerability from natural hazards and improved health of human beings, ecosystems and the natural resource base; •Forging twinning and networking arrangements involving South-South and North-South collaboration to share knowledge and experience in innovative approaches to ecosystem-based management of watersheds, estuaries and the adjacent coastal seas, such as Chesapeake Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Bohai Sea, Manila Bay, Masan-Chinhae Bay and Jakarta Bay, as well as the effective management of marine protected areas, such as the Great Barrier Reef and Sulu-Sulawesi Sea; •Building up and making the best use of regional intellectual capital and resources for integrated management and sustainable use of the environment and resources, through stakeholder participation and networking, as well as scientific, technical and information support; and •Establishing innovative financing mechanisms to help countries achieve time-bound wastewater emission targets, including a revolving fund to leverage private sector investment and public-private partnerships for pollution control in secondary cities and in industrial and agricultural enterprises in regional pollution hotspots, in collaboration with World Bank, participating national governments and the private sector. Summary Recommendation: The program manager having reviewed the submitted documentation, would recommend CEO approval of WP entry upon review of a revised proposal addressing the following: (i) provide a section describing how the proposal responds to the recommendations made at the time of PDF-B approval (see Program and Policy Conformity section of the Review Sheet). (ii) Provide in the Executive Summary a section describing the co-financing sources (type, and source). (iii) Provide in the Exec. Summary a detailed budget, by activity and sub-component, in addition to the one by type of expenditure presented in the ProDoc. (iv) Specify the resources allocated for all the activities related to Replication, as described at pages 10,11, 12 of the Exec. Summary. (v) Management budget. The total GEF exceeds the 10% standard. It includes $320k for travels and office facilities. These costs should be reduced and/or covered through co-financing, or well justified in the text. (vi) Provide in the Exec.Summary explanatory text referring to the Revolving Fund alluded to in the Logframe (G.1.3.). (vii) Ensure that project will have a website according to IW LEARN criteria, and that it will participate to IW LEARN initiatives, including biannual conferences.