GPA/IGR-3: Declaration

The 3rd Intergovernmental Review on the Implementation of the Global Programme for Action (IGR-3) provided an opportunity for national governments and regional organizations to renew commitments to the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities. Participants adopted the Manila Declaration and their report.

New Approach to MPAs in ABNJ

A new report entitled "A legal scenario analysis for marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction" is the product of a seminar using foresight methodologies to stimulate discussions on pathways to ensure efficient governance through strong, long-term and articulated strategies.

Marine Biodiversity BBNJ

The IUCN Environmental Law Centre (IUCN-ELC) in collaboration with the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) recently organized an international seminar with the objective of making substantive progress in the further development of ideas and concepts regarding recommendations from the 4th meeting of the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Three main issues discussed, amongst others, that play a key role in the BBNJ process included:
- Possible ways of sharing benefits from the utilization of marine genetic resources accessed in areas beyond national jurisdiction;
- Possible governance frameworks for the establishment and management of a network of Marine Protected Areas on the High Seas; and
- Possible role of and consequences for an UNCLOS implementing agreement.

The workshop report will be published at the beginning of 2012.

Background information and presentations

UNCTAD: Climate Change and Ports

The Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on "Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: A Challenge for Global Ports Building" has published its main outcomes and summary of discussions. The event builds on related activities carried out by the UNCTAD secretariat, including the first session of the Multi-year Expert Meeting on Transport and Trade Facilitation in 2009 with a focus on "Maritime Transport and the Climate Change Challenge", and a Joint UNECE-UNCTAD Workshop on "Climate Change Impacts on International Transport Networks" in 2010.

New Publication on Biodiversity Law and Policy

The World Future Council (WFC) and the Center for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) have published a new report entitled “Crafting Future Just Biodiversity Laws andPolicies”. It includes a survey of the world’s best biodiversity laws from Costa Rica, Norway, Bhutan and South Africa, as well as an analysis of successful sectoral biodiversity policies which address marine, forest and agricultural biodiversity.

EC: Call For Italy to End Drift-net Fishing

The Commission has called on Italy to take measures to stop continued illegal use of drift-nets, which is in violation of a ruling from October 2009 by the Court of Justice on Italy's failure to adequately control and enforce the EU ban on the use of drift-nets. If no satisfactory actions are taken by Italy within two months of the Commission's letter, the Commission may refer this case to the Court of Justice again, this time asking the Court to impose significant financial penalties on Italy.

Press Release

Bottom Fishing and Deep Sea Fish Stocks

Further to a request from the UN/GA, the UN S-G organized a workshop from 15-16 September to discuss implementation of paragraphs 80 and 83-87 of resolution 61/105 and paragraphs 117 and 119-127 of resolution 64/72 on sustainable fisheries, addressing the impacts of bottom fishing on vulnerable marine ecosystems and the long-term sustainability of deep sea fish stock.
Workshop Agenda

Upcoming Seminar: MPAs in ABNJ

An international seminar titled "Towards a legal framework for the creation and management of cross sectoral marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction" will take place September 19-21, Nausicaa Boulogne-sur Mer (France). 

The seminar's objectives are:
- to conduct a legal analysis of different possible options for the creations and management of cross-scectoral MPAs in ABNJ;
- to explore the political conditions that would enable the realisation of each legal option developed; and
- to adopted accordingly, specific recommendations that will be brought to international forums particularly in view to the 6th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands, UNCSD (Rio+20)and IUCN's 5th World Conservation Congress.

UNCSD (Rio+20): Eight Priorities

Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of UNCSD (Rio+20), summarized a recent speech in a new post to his blog elaborating on eight “new and emerging challenges” that States and other stakeholders have highlighted for priority attention.

The challenges are identified as:
1) green jobs and social inclusion, emphasizing the social pillar of sustainable development and the problem of unemployment;
2) energy access and security, noting the problem of energy poverty and calling for endorsement of the initiative for universal energy access by 2030;
3) food security and sustainable agriculture, calling for protecting soils, water, and biodiversity in efforts to feed more people;
4) sound water management, to combat desertification and drought, as well as the risk of conflict over scarce water;
5) urbanization and sustainable cities, noting the potential for cities – through building and transport practices – to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and solve other sustainable development problems;
6) management of the oceans and marine resources, calling for accelerated implementation of Chapter 17 of Agenda 21;
7) enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience, particularly in “vulnerable developing countries;” and
8) means of implementation, on which he noted developing countries’ need for international support to build greener infrastructure and industries, which he suggested could be met through a new public and private financing initiative, such as a global green economy fund.

EP: Climate Report Rejected

On the 5 July, the European Parliament rejected the report from the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety calling for the EU to set out an ambitious climate policy and increase its CO2 reduction target to 30% by 2020. Nonetheless, the failure to reach 30% doesn’t change the Union's ambitious negotiating position for COP-17 to UNFCCC.  

UNCLOS/ICP-12

The 12th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process (ICP) on Oceans and the Law of the Sea completed its meeting on 24 June concenring the theme “contributing to the assessment, in the context of the [UNCSD (Rio+20)] of progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges”
The Co-Chairs’ Summary of Discussions will be sent to the UN/GA for consideration at its 66th session under the agenda item, “Oceans and the law of the sea.” Furthermore, the Chairs will request that the President of the Assembly also submit the report to the UNCSD Bureau for incorporation in the compilation document, on which the “zero draft” of the UNCSD outcome will be based.

IISD RS Coverage of ICP 12

USA: National Ocean Council

As a first step in addressing the objectives of the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes; the US National Ocean Council (NOC) recently released nine strategic action plan outlines for public review. The outlines address the following:

1. Ecosystem-Based Management

2. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

3. Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding

4. Coordinate and Support

5. Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

6. Regional Ecosystem Protection and Restoration

7. Water Quality and Sustainable Practices on Land

8. Changing Conditions in the Arctic

9. Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Observations, Mapping, and Infrastructure

Interdisciplinary Report on State of the Oceans

A high-level international workshop convened by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and cosponsored by IUCN was the first such meeting of marine scientists of its kind designed to consider the cumulative impact of multiple stressors on the ocean, including warming, acidification, and overfishing. The 27 participants from 18 organisations in 6 countries produced an assessment of current threats — and a stark conclusion about future risks to marine and human life if the current trajectory of damage continues: that the world's ocean is at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history.

The report summary* outlines the main findings and recommendations including the "Urgent introduction by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly of effective governance of the High Seas.

The full report will be released at a later date.


*Rogers, A.D. & Laffoley, D.d'A. 2011. International Earth system expert workshop on ocean stresses and impacts. Summary report. IPSO Oxford, 18 pp.

UNCLOS: MSP-21 Outcomes

The 21st meeting of States parties to UNCLOS focused on administrative and budgetary questions relating to ITLOS, information reported by the Secretary-General of the ISA and the Chairman of CLCS, and the election of seven Tribunal members.

On the opening day, parties elected several Bureau members and the provisional agenda for their week-long session. They also elected by acclamation Camillo Gonsalves (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) as President of the meeting, who underscored the importance of the Convention for the sustainable use of ocean resources, navigation and protection of the marine environment.

On issues relating to CLCS, meeting participants asked the Commission to consider meeting in New York, simultaneously with its subcommissions, for up to six months annually over the next five years, and recommended that any request for Secretariat resources to facilitate more working weeks be presented to the UN/GA during its 66th session.

UNCLOS parties also adopted by consensus a draft decision that recalls the obligation of States with experts serving on the Commission to defray all their related expenses, and urged those States to ensure their experts’ full participation in the Commission’s work. The draft further urged those States parties in a position to do so to make contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund.

Meeting Website

UNEP: EBM for Marine and Coastal Ecosystems

UNEP has launched a new training resource: “Taking Steps toward Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Management – An Introductory Guide” laying out a series of principles to guide management towards long-term sustainability of marine and coastal ecosystems with three main sections:
1: Making the case for EBM – Why and how is change necessary?;
2: Examining the core elements of EBM;
3: Moving towards EBM: Visioning – Planning – Implementation.

The target audience of the Guide includes planners and decision-makers in local, national and regional governments and communities across a broad spectrum of interests and uses and is not intended to be a technical manual or textbook, but rather an introduction to EBM principles and ‘thinking’.

Proposal for a Marine Ecological Corridor

On May 31, Oceana, and the Official College of Biologists of the Basque Country (COBE) hosted a media conference to launch their proposal for a marine ecological corridor that would extend from San Sebastien (Spain) to Hendaye (France) encompassing some 27,000 ha over 35 km of coastline. Spain currently only has 1.3% of its marine area protected, considerably less than the 10% recommended by CBD. The ecological corridor would complement a similar proposal on the French side of the Basque country from Biarritz to Hendaye under the Natura 2000 network. Further research is anticipated to identify critical habitat areas as well as ongoing discussions with key government ministries.

Recommendation for legal regime on marine biodiversity

The 4th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ)  produced consensus recommendations to start a new process on the legal regime on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. 

Recommendations to the General Assembly, adopted on 3 June 2011 (advanced, unedited version, posted at the request of the Co-Chairs)
IISD Coverage

AU: Task Force on Integrated Marine Strategy

The AU has formed a cross-department task force to develop Africa's Integrated Maritime (AIM) Strategy, which will articulate an "overarching multilayered African-driven long term vision" to address Africa's maritime challenges and opportunities.

AU Press Release

UNDOALOS: Prep for workshop on bottom fishing

The UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea organized an informal preparatory meeting on June 1for the upcoming workshop to discuss implementation of relevant paragraphs of UN/GA Resolutions 61/105 and 64/72 on the impacts of bottom fishing on vulnerable marine ecosystems and the long-term sustainability of deep sea fish stocks. Participants considered a draft Organization of Work for the workshop, which will take place from 15-16 September during the first round of informal consultations on the draft resolution on sustainable fisheries.

IISD report

IUCN: Marine News

Marine News, Issue 8 features an editorial by David Freestone and Kristina Gjerde on "High Seas on the Road to Rio+20," as well as articles on Arctic hotspots, climate change mitigation and adaptation, ocean acidification, the first satellite-tagged western grey whale and marine protected areas (MPAs).