Twinning is referred to as a process to facilitate interregional and cross-site programme networking and sharing among managers and practitioners, including mutual technical assistance and transfer of information.
PEMSEA has adopted the twinning concept in its programme of activities and continues to move forward in forging twinning arrangements between and among sites in and out of the region. These initiatives focus on addressing priority coastal and marine water pollution concerns particularly in interrelated river basins and coastal waters, through an ecosystem-based management approach.
Today, there are seven participating sites under PEMSEA's Twinning Arrangements, all provided with opportunities for knowledge-sharing and technical cooperation in managing river basins, coastal areas and coastal seas. The Gulf of Thailand, Bohai Sea in China and Manila Bay in the Philippines have fully developed coastal strategies and established priority action programmes. Indonesia's Jakarta Bay is in the developing stage of its restoration and sustainability programme. Masan-Chinhae Bay in the Republic of Korea has been running an environmental management plan for a number of years. Serving as knowledge centers for coastal area management are Chesapeake Bay in the United States and the Seto Inland Sea in Japan.
- Bohai Sea, PR China
- Manila Bay, Philippines
- Gulf of Thailand
- Masan-Chinhae Bay, RO Korea
- Jakarta Bay, Indonesia
- Chesapeake Bay, USA
- Seto Inland Sea, Japan
The Twinning Secretariat was established by the government of the Republic of Korea in June 2008, as a follow-up step in implementing the Twinning Arrangements provisions. Through the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) and the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), the Secretariat receives financial support and the necessary facilities to operate.
The Secretariat's core functions include:
- Organizing workshops and meetings of the PEMSEA Integrated River Basin and Coastal Area Management (IRBCAM) Network;
- Implementing and coordinating actions and recommendations of the Network participants;
- Disseminating information to the Network members of relevant activities, events and opportunities among its membership;
- Developing and maintaining records of the Network members, as well as information on their respective projects and programmes;
Twinning Arrangements for River Basin and Coastal Area Management
Ecosystem-based management projects in Bohai Sea, Manila Bay, Gulf of Thailand and Jakarta Bay operate in isolation. They and their partners fail to either capitalize on others' wisdom or to replicate their successful activities. Without access to valuable information and good practices generated by others, these projects continue to re-invent the wheel and do not contribute to global learning to strengthen transboundary waters management.
Target Scenario / Benefits
Global: Through South-South and North-South twinning arrangements, involving both developed and developing programs covering ecosystem-based management of watersheds, estuaries and adjacent coastal areas, project managers and implementers access, adapt and apply one another’s experience and information to effectively leverage GEF and other investments and realize long-term improvements in managing their shared water and marine resources. In addition, the capacity to tap knowledge and information resources assists in sustaining project activities and benefits beyond GEF's intervention. The GEF IW portfolio makes substantial contributions to ecosystem-based management learning regionally, thereby enhancing replication and benefits of GEF IW interventions.
Domestic: Responsible national agencies, local government units, private sector and civil society members in Bohai Sea, Manila Bay, Gulf of Thailand and Jakarta Bay adopt and apply successfully-tested approaches to solving problems, while meeting the challenges of ecosystem-based management in selected watersheds and coastal areas, and implementing their respective coastal strategies/framework programs and formulating investment plans. All entities also establish contacts/networks to which they can go for further technical advice and assistance regarding such matters. Good practices in ecosystem-based management are evaluated, transferred and replicated.