The high level UN Conference on Oceans and Seas will be held in Fiji in 2017.

This follows UN General Assembly’s decision which was welcomed by Global Ocean Commission yesterday.

The meeting will support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and Sustainably Use the Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources for Sustainable Development.

It is scheduled from June 5-9, 2017.

The resolution adopted underlines that the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will depend upon a revitalised and enhanced global partnership for sustainable development, bringing together governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other actors.

This was originally proposed by the Fijian and Swedish governments.

The SDGs were adopted in September 2015 as part of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Fiji’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Peter Thomson said the 2014 report of the Global Ocean Commission clearly demonstrated that ocean’s health was caught in a cycle of decline and that international ocean governance was fragmented.

He said the resolution would ensure a coming together of the international community to drive the implementation of SDG14 and reverse the cycle of decline.

The prime movers of the motion, Fiji and Sweden, had originally proposed that the UN Conference be convened every three years between 2017 and 2029.

Ambassador Thomson said that depending on the success and outcome of the Fiji summit in 2017, this triennial process would drive SDG’s implementation over the 15 years of the 2030 Agenda.

Co-Chair of the Global Ocean Commission José María Figueres said: “The high level UN Conference on Oceans and Seas – Fiji 2017 can provide the first accountability moment all ocean lovers and conservationists have been waiting for; to assess what we are really doing to and for the ocean.”

Source: DEPTFO News

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