This voluntary commitment aims to improve integrated water resources management, reduce pollution loads from nutrients and other land-based activities, sustain freshwater environmental flows and reduce climate vulnerability through demonstrations and replications, planning and strengthening of integrated river basin management in selected countries in the East Asian Seas.

The project concept was approved by the Global Environment Facility in May 2017 and the preparation of the project document will commence shortly. The projected start of implementation will be in mid 2019 and will last for 5 years.

The project will employ the source-to-sea approach in addressing land-based pollution of coastal areas and the oceans. One priority river basin will be selected in each participating country for which site-based activities will be identified during project design. As a first step, status assessments will lead to an improved understanding of governance, socioeconomic, ecological conditions, gaps and needs of priority river basins. Integrated River Basin Management Strategies and Action Plans in these priority river basins/sub-basins will be formulated based on the results from the scientific, socioeconomic and other assessments. The IRBM Strategies and Action Plans will be adopted and initially implemented with the immediate aim of reducing land-based pollutants flowing to the coasts. Regional activities will be undertaken that will facilitate exchanges within the ASEAN cooperation framework.