Coastal erosion is recognized as one of the major impacts of climate change-induced sea-level rise. The developing countries of the East Asian region face the prospects of severe loss of coastal ecosystems, communities and economic activities in the low-lying areas. Given such concerns the COBSEA countries called for the development of a regional programme for coastal erosion management and guidance at national and local levels to assist their efforts in dealing with the issue. With the kind support of the Government of Korea a regional programme ‘COBSEA Regional Programme for the Sustainable and Ecosystem-Based Management of Coastal Erosion in the East Asian Seas Region’ was developed by COBSEA national authorities and experts to lay the foundation for a regional strategy or policy on coastal erosion.