First WESTPAC Marine Spatial Planning Expert Workshop
2023-11-14 08:00 - 2023-11-15 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Qingdao, China
Bangkok, Thailand, 20 – 22 July 2026

Overview

Introduction

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has gaining increasing attention from Member States in the Western Pacific, as an effective process to support policy-makers and stakeholders in making informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine spaces and resources sustainably.

In 2022, the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) launched the United Nations Ocean Decade Action 21: Accelerating Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific in 2022. More importantly, Member States in the region adopted the Action Framework for Accelerating Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas (2025-2030), representing a collective commitment to advancing MSP for boosting a sustainable blue economy and fulfilling both national and international ocean-related commitments.

Among other efforts, this in-person training aims to strengthen national and regional capacity for MSP in the East Asian Seas. The activity is a joint initiative, and the WESTPAC is pleased to co-organize this event together with our partners: IW:LEARN, MSPglobal, the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand Strategic Action Programme (SCS-SAP) Project, and the UNEP Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA).

Workshop objectives

The in-person training workshop aims to: Strengthen the understanding and capacities on MSP concepts, processes, and practical implementation approaches, as a way to help accelerate the implementation of MSP in the region;Enhance awareness on existing national and regional MSP mechanisms and their linkages to global frameworks;Train participants on the application of the newly developed practical approach to integrate MSP and sustainable blue economy into the TDA/SAP process implemented at the scale of the LMEs.

The training workshop includes three parts: The first part covers the fundamentals of MSP, including interactive sessions using the MSP Challenge board game adapted to specific regional needs.The second part focuses on practical ways to integrate MSP and sustainable blue economy approaches into the transboundary diagnostic analysis/strategic action programme (TDA/SAP) process used by Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) programmes, based on a new practical approach developed with the support of GRID-Arendal.The third part explores how MSP links to global and regional frameworks. Countries will also have the opportunity to share their experiences and approaches, followed by examples of technical support provided to countries.

Workshop participants

The training will bring together participants from Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters (IW) projects, national authorities and supporting institutions engaged in MSP initiatives, regional organizations, representatives of government and academia.

WESTPAC-ECNU International Workshop “Stem the tide of Asia’s riverine plastic emission into the ocean”
2023-11-20 08:00 - 2023-11-22 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Sanya, Hainan, China

Training Workshop on Monitoring Marine Fish Communities with Environmental DNA Method
2023-11-27 08:00 - 2023-11-29 18:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Phuket, Thailand

The Fourth Session of the CSK-2 International Steering Group
2023-12-04 08:00 - 2023-12-06 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Qingdao, China

2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference
2024-04-22 08:00 - 2024-04-25 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Bangkok, Thailand

Training Course on Remote Sensing-based Seagrass Blue Carbon Assessment
2024-09-23 08:00 - 2024-10-04 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Jakarta, Indonesia

Second International Scientific Symposium of CSK-2 & the Fifth Meeting of the CSK-2 International Steering Group
2024-11-13 08:00 - 2024-11-15 17:00 (Asia/Karachi) | Sendai, Japan

IOC/WESTPAC Workshop on the Asian Marginal Seas Program
2024-12-06 08:00 - 2024-12-08 17:00 (Asia/Karachi) | Toyama, Japan

Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XV)
2025-03-11 08:00 - 2025-03-13 17:00 (Asia/Karachi) | Tokyo, Japan

2nd International Workshop on Small Island Research and Development (SIRaD)
2025-10-02 08:00 - 2025-10-04 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Malang, Indonesia

Scoping Workshop for the Intersessional Task Force on Ocean Literacy
2025-10-09 14:00 - 2025-10-10 12:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Online

2nd WESTPAC Workshop on Marine Spatial Planning
2025-10-14 08:00 - 2025-10-16 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Chonburi, Thailand

Kickoff Workshop on Advancing International Collaboration for Seagrass Ecosystem Research, Conservation and Restoration
2025-11-04 08:00 - 2025-11-06 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Phuket, Thailand

Kickoff Workshop on Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration in the Western Pacific
2025-11-06 08:00 - 2025-11-08 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Xiamen, China

Small Island Research and Development (SIRaD) International Training Workshop on Remote Sensing for Marine Environment Mapping
2025-11-24 - 2025-11-28 | Jakarta, Indonesia

Expanded WESTPAC Advisory Group Strategic Consultative Meeting 2026
2026-01-28 08:00 - 2026-01-30 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Penang, Malaysia

WPI-AIMEC and Nature Positive Core Joint Symposium on the UN Ocean Decade Actions: COSMEC and ANEMONE Global
2026-02-04 - 2026-02-06 | Tokyo, Japan

International Training Workshop on Environmental DNA (eDNA) Applications in Marine Biodiversity Monitoring and Assessment
2026-06-22 08:00 - 2026-06-24 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Chonburi, Thailand

In-Person Training: Building Capacity on Biodiversity-Inclusive and Climate-Smart MSP and Area-Based Management for ABNJ
2026-07-13 08:00 - 2026-07-17 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Busan, South Korea, Busan

In-Person Training: Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Regional Training Workshop for the East Asian Seas
2026-07-20 09:00 - 2026-07-22 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Bangkok, Thailand

12th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference & 3rd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference
2027-04-20 08:00 - 2027-04-23 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Manila, Manila, Philippines
