SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
SEAFDEC Secretariat welcomed Ms. Rachel Kaplan, Director of the WWF GEF Agency, during her coordination visit to Bangkok, Thailand, to review progress and strengthen collaboration under the GEF-supported “Blue Horizon: Ocean Relief through Seaweed Aquaculture Project.” The meeting was attended by the SEAFDEC Project Management Unit (PMU), led by Project Manager Mr. Muhamad Nour and Administrative Officer Ms. Thanitta Sookklam, together with representatives from the Policy and Program Coordination Office of the SEAFDEC Secretariat, Dr. Worawit Wanchana, and Ms. Onjira Korboon.
The meeting discussed the overall workplan, progress, including activities completed to date, and the implementation schedule for upcoming project milestones. The discussion covered key areas of project governance, including coordination mechanisms between SEAFDEC, BFAR (Philippines), and DFiS (Viet Nam), as well as the ongoing development of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan to ensure the effective tracking of project outcomes.
Ms. Kaplan and the SEAFDEC team also reviewed potential implementation challenges and risks, and explored responsive measures to maintain the timely delivery of project outputs. Updates were also presented on the progress made in establishing the Seaweed Technical Working Group (S-TWG) and the Project Steering Committee.
Following the technical meeting, Ms. Kaplan held a debrief session with the SEAFDEC Secretary-General, Ms. Sampan Panjarat. The discussion reaffirmed SEAFDEC’s commitment to advancing the project’s objectives and enhancing coordination among executing partners.
SEAFDEC extended its gratitude to WWF-US for the strong and steady support. Together, both organizations are committed to driving progress and delivering benefits to seaweed farmers and coastal communities throughout Southeast Asia.
