IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)
Advancing knowledge and cooperation for a healthy ocean and prosperous society
UN21: Accelerate Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific
Events
The establishment of MSP demonstration sites is part of concrete actions taken in the framework of the UN Ocean Decade Action: Accelerate marine spatial planning in the Western Pacific and its adjacent areas. Spearheaded by the Sub-Commission, this initiative aims to address the needs of Member States in the region to promote and foster an ecosystem-based approach to blue economy and sustainable development.
The Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) National Training Workshop was held in Nanning city, the capital of Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region, China. This workshop aimed to enhance the knowledge of MSP practitioners about the MSPglobal International Guide and empower them to integrate the Guide with MSP practices, thereby reinforcing the implementation of MSP in Guangxi, a coastal province in the southwest China.
This national training in China is the second national training conducted in the Western Pacific. The first national training took place in Thailand in April 2024
UN Ocean Decade Action -UN21 “Accelerate Marine Spatial planning (MSP) in the Western Pacific”, convened over forty government officials, marine spatial planning experts, and relevant stakeholders from Member States in the region and international organizations. The objective was to deliberate on a roadmap for marine spatial planning in the region. This Decade Action Workshop formed an integral part of the 2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & the 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference (22-25 April 2024, Bangkok).
It was implemented online on 16 December 2022 and was co-financed by the Government of Sweden. The event was organized by the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and IOC-UNESCO, in collaboration with a broad range of national and international organizations working in the region. The event brought together various MSP practitioners and stakeholders in the region, including local/national authorities, research/academia, business/private sectors, NGOs, and foundations, aiming to: Share the outcomes of the 5th International MSPforum and the 3rd International Conference on Marine Spatial Planning, also the potential cooperation ideas were shared in the Forum.
To enhance the outreach of UN21, the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) together with China Oceanic Development Foundation, the Pacific Islands Development Forum, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, hosted a side event in 2022 UN Ocean Conference, with the theme of “Progressing Blue Economy through MSP: Opportunities for the Pacific”. Around 70 participants all over the world from relative government officials, scientists, entrepreneurs and stakeholders discussed the comparative advantages of the South Pacific region as well as the investment plan.
The IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) together with several countries and their institutions in the region developed and registered this program as a UN Ocean Decade Project - UN21: Accelerating Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific Areas and Its Adjacent Areas - in July 2022.
In response to the demands of member states, the incubator conference named “Solutions to the conflicts of ocean uses: Accelerate marine spatial planning in the Western Pacific” was held online in the UN Ocean Decade Kickoff Conference for the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas on 26 November 2021. The incubator gathered about 80 MSP practitioners from countries in the region, briefed on the MSP global movement and the International guide, shared ideas and perspectives and eventually came up with an action plan to further advance MSP process in the region.