First Project Steering Committee Meeting 2025 of the Blue Horizon Seaweed Project
Published on December 10, 2025
The SEAFDEC Secretariat, through the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Blue Horizon: Ocean Relief through Seaweed Aquaculture Project hosted the meeting from 27 to 28 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand
The SEAFDEC Secretariat, through the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Blue Horizon: Ocean Relief through Seaweed Aquaculture Project, hosted the "First Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting" from 27 to 28 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The PSC meeting served as a key policy guidance body to review the project progress, strengthen coordination among executing agencies, and recommend strategic and operational priorities for the project implementation.
The session opened with remarks by the SEAFDEC Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Koichi Tahara, who chaired the Meeting and highlighted SEAFDEC's commitment to advancing sustainable seaweed aquaculture in the region. The Meeting was further honored by the participation of Ms. Drusila Esther E. Bayate, Undersecretary for Fisheries of the Philippines, who emphasized the importance of regional collaboration and the project's alignment with national priorities for sustainable aquaculture development.
Dr. Koichi Tahara - Deputy Secretary General of Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC)
The Meeting brought together representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Surveillance of Viet Nam, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP), the SEAFDEC Secretariat, and observers from WWF.
The PSC members reviewed the project's implementation status, administrative progress, and coordination mechanisms among executing agencies. The PSC members formally adopted the Terms of Reference for both the PSC and the Seaweed Technical Working Group (S-TWG), reinforcing the project's governance structure. Members also noted the outcomes of the Inception Workshop.
Other important issues were also addressed in this meeting, particularly contingency planning to address implementation delays, adoption of the Gender Action Plan, and the proposed training activities for the communication strategy and the development of the Monitoring and Evaluation system.
The Meeting concluded with a shared commitment among all executing agencies to strengthen coordination, ensure timely implementation, and advance the regional initiative toward its intended outcomes. The PSC members ratified the Annual Work Plan and Budget of SEAFDEC for 2024 and 2025 and approved the proposed AWPB 2025 for BFAR Philippines, took note of financial progress and co-financing commitments, and provided guidance to support proactive management of emerging project challenges.
As next steps, the PMU will circulate the full meeting report within two weeks, finalize contingency measures, and continue coordination with the GEF Agency and DFiS Viet Nam to complete the remaining grant agreement processes. The schedule for the next PSC Meeting will be announced once confirmed.
The project "Blue Horizon: Ocean Relief through Seaweed Aquaculture" is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The WWF-US serves as the GEF Implementing Agency for the Project, together with three executing agencies: the SEAFDEC Secretariat, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Philippines, and the Department of Fisheries and Surveillance of Viet Nam. The Project duration covers from April 2024 to December 2028.
Text and Photos from SEAFDEC.
