Fifth East Asian Seas Congress to be held in Da Nang

(CPV) - Vietnam will host the fifth East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress in the central coastal city of Da Nang from November 16th to 21st with the participation of 400 foreign and 300 domestic delegates.

This was announced in a press conference detailing the organization plans for the event held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on November 11th.

With the theme “Global targets – Local benefits: Setting the sustainable development agenda for the seas of East Asia beyond 2015”, the congress will focus on assessing lessons learned and progress made in the scaling up of good practices and initiatives towards building an ocean-based ‘blue’ economy and mapping new objectives and a schedule for the East Asian region in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements and targets.

The congress will feature the Fifth Ministerial Forum, International Conference on Sustainable Ocean and Coastal Development, Fourth Youth Forum, Network of Local Governments Forum for Sustainable Coastal Development, an Environmental Exhibition and many other special events.

The event will create opportunities to meet and exchange current information and learn about other innovative policies, share experience, initiatives and achievements in managing and developing the EAS environment sustainably.

Since 2003, the EAS congress has been held every three years. It has established its reputation as an intellectual marketplace and a forum on ocean-based that uniquely focus on the world's most diverse and fastest-growing region.

In recent years, the sea economy has made a very significant contribution to Vietnam’s development. Currently, the sea economy has contributed about 50% of the country’s total GDP and is on the rise. Green sea economic growth helped to create many jobs, reduce poverty, enhance social welfares and improve the life condition of Vietnam’s coastal fisher-people./.