ATSEA operates under an agreed regional governance mechanism endorsed by the ATS member countries, designed to ensure coordination, transparency, and country ownership.
ATSEA operates under an agreed regional governance mechanism endorsed by the ATS member countries, designed to ensure coordination, transparency, and country ownership.
Key Bodies
The Council of Ministers (CoM) is the highest decision-making body, composed of ministers from each country’s focal ministry, and is responsible for setting overall regional priorities.
The Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) serves as the main policy and operational decision-making body. It oversees implementation, monitoring, and cross-sector coordination.
The Regional Secretariat is responsible for coordinating daily implementation, providing technical support, and managing reporting functions. It is hosted in Bali, Indonesia.
The Regional Stakeholder Working Group (RSWG) is intended to be a multisectoral advisory body. It includes representatives from NGOs, universities, Indigenous and women’s groups, development partners, and other stakeholders.
The National Coordination Committees (NCCs) are country-level entities that ensure national actions align with regional priorities. They are supported by National Secretariats and National Stakeholder Working Groups (NSWGs).
Strategic Development Partners (SDPs) to support and fund targeted projects, provide technical advice, and identify convergence with existing initiatives contributing to SAP and NAP implementation
National Focal Points
ATSEA Program National Focal Points serve as the official communication link between participating governments and the Regional Secretariat. They play a key role in coordinating national engagement and ensuring effective implementation of regional programs and priorities. National Focal Points also help mobilise technical experts, facilitate policy alignment, and ensure that ATSEA activities respond to country-specific needs while contributing to shared regional goals.
Each national government also leads through its designated focal agency:
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
ATSEA collaborates with a network of development and technical partners to advance its regional priorities. Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) became ATSEA’s first Strategic Development Partner (SDP) following approval by the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) in 2024. Currently, PEMSEA serves as ATSEA’s fund manager and provides technical guidance, co-financing, capacity development, and administrative support.
In 2025, the second ATSEA Consultative Meeting approved Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) as the second SDP. Under the ATSEA-2 Project, OSRL contributed to various capacity-building initiatives, including a four-part webinar series on oil spill preparedness and response (OSPR), training opportunities, and a learning exchange visit to their facilities in Singapore for key personnel from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
At the Second Annual Meeting of the ATSEA Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) held in December 2025, the Coral Triangle Center (CTC) was approved to serve as ATSEA’s new SDP. In this role, CTC is expected to contribute to strengthening the resilience of Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species and critical habitats, mainstreaming climate change considerations, advancing Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI), and supporting effective regional coordination through technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was approved as an ATSEA SDP during the First Consultative Meeting of the ATSEA Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) on 8 April 2026. As one of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Implementing Agencies, UNDP has been ATSEA’s pioneering partners, supporting the initiative since the ATSEA-1 and ATSEA-2 Projects. UNDP continues to support the ATSEA Program through information sharing and networking with similar global initiatives, identification of funding opportunities, joint proposal development, and technical oversight for project implementation in support of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) 2024–2033.
PRINCIPLES
Our Guiding Principles
ATSEA’s governance and implementation are rooted in internationally recognised principles and commitments:
