With the conference, known as the name A3, set to close on Friday, the issues could not be higher.
Li Junhua, the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, said UN News Thursday, the last four days have been marked by a rare feeling of solidarity around the target of sustainable development 14 (ODD 14) – Protection of life underwater.
“This is the real testimony of the impact of this conference on the future of our ocean,” he added.
Project of signal signals Sensation of emergency
Bought since Monday on the Côte d’Azur Borde The adoption of a set supported by consensus aimed at securing the future of the world’s oceans.
Delegates are preparing to approve a political declaration alongside a set of radicals of voluntary commitments from participating countries – collectively known as Beautiful ocean action plan.
The declaration itself, entitled “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action”, underwent four cycles of intense intergovernmental negotiations at the UN headquarters in New York since January, as well as informal consultations with key delegations and civil society groups.
At the heart of the conference mission – Mobilize measures to safeguard and manage marine ecosystems permanently – The declaration, in the form of a project, reports a change in tone marked, emphasizing an unprecedented feeling of emergency.
He calls for immediate and transformative measures to protect the oceans, reflecting increasing concerns about climate change, loss of biodiversity and the depletion of marine resources.
© Coral Reef Image Bank / Tom Vierus
The inhabitants of the village of Galoa and their ancestors depend on the system of reefs for hundreds of years for subsistence and income.
In addition, the draft declaration describes measures to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable ocean economies. It also emphasizes the acceleration of the action, stressing that the ODD 14 remains one of the least funded United Nations objectives.
To advance global ocean initiatives, the draft declaration provides for significant and accessible funding and the completion of existing commitments under international agreements.
The project highlights the deep links of the ocean with climate and biodiversity, urging nations to fully implement Biological Diversity Convention. He also reaffirms the commitment to an international agreement, legally binding plastic pollutionEmphasizing a complete approach that addresses plastics throughout their life cycle.
The final negotiations are underway, and Tomorrow, we will report if the nations have reached a consensus to tackle the global ocean emergencytransforming decades of promises into significant marine protection.
He Safiya Sawney, special envoy and ambassador for the climate, Governade Government.
The small voices of the island are vital for oceanic politics
Among all stakeholders, small island nations have a key role in training the declaration. As a communities most vulnerable to the increase in seas and marine degradation, their first -hand experience and leadership are essential to develop an effective and inclusive ocean policy.
Safiya Sawney, Special Envoy and Ambassador for the Granada Climate, said UN News That it is happy to see the reference in the project of result on the antigua and bearded program for the development states of small islands, or Abas, which was adopted during the fourth international conference on the development states of small islanders in May 2024.
Ms. Sawney said that the inclusion of the Antigua and Barbuda agenda in the UNOC3 political declaration reports unity among the island nations. She pointed out that, despite many challenges, the small islands are determined to implement all the obligations under ABAS, demonstrating their determination to transform the commitments into action.
“A large part of our heritage, our culture, our economy, is derived from the ocean,” she said, ” So for us, you cannot have an ocean declaration without sids. “”
“No compromise with nature”
As for the negotiation process on the draft declaration, Ms. Sawney said that Grenada and other delegations in the Alliance of Small island States (AOSIS) said they were taking advantage of the force and experience of past climatic talks and the contribution to the ocean space.
“Part of healthy multilateralism is to know that you have to compromise,” she admitted, but also adding that “The only thing we cannot compromise, however, is nature».
To ensure that “we are able to succeed together to support this ocean program”, she suggested that “some countries need to do more than others”. She added that The developing states of small islands ask these countries to show their leadershipNot only by discrepancies or funding, but by a “real action”.
Ocean coordination mechanism secretariat
Representatives of 14 Caribbean countries sign the declaration of action in blue: the vision and the Caribbean roadmap for our ocean during a high -level launch event during the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC3) in Nice, in France.
Caribbean governments acting together
Note themselves “large ocean nations” at UNOC3, the small development states of the island bring together their weight not only to participate but shape the world ocean agenda, said Sawney. Among these efforts, the Caribbean governments wanted to demonstrate political unity and regional ambition throughout the conference.
On the day of the opening of the UNOC3, the vision of action blue: Caribbean 30 × 30 for the ocean was officially launched. It reflects an urgent call for the political leaders of the Caribbean to advance the collective regional advocacy aligned with the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversityas well as SDG14.
“By entering UNOC3, we approved 12 Governments of the Caribbean, including independent states and territories, and we had an additional signature and expression of interest of three different governments,” said Sawney.
Change the tide of the release
Recalling the 2008 Caribbean Challenge initiative, which advanced the protection of around 49,000 km of maritime zones in the region, Ms. Sawney said that part of what the newly launched vision is doing is reminding the international community that “we will continue to work, we will continue to appear and we really love their help”.
Describing the Caribbean as “limited by capacity”, it, however, highlighted the excessive dependence of the region on external aid, experts and capacity.
“We are trying to change the tide,” she said, stressing the importance of letting donors know that the region is very invested in strengthening its own capacity and possession of its own implementation.
Seeing a OC3 as an important opportunity to get through this message, Ms. Sawney said that the Caribbean islands were not just waiting for the end of the conference, but what happened afterwards.
“The real work begins after all this is over,” she concluded with hope.
