72. Three minor documents

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71. Agreement

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Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action : 2020-2021 : A Report of the Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Initiative

Following in the footsteps of three previous Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) reports, the 2020-2021 report is the final ROCA report in the series. The report provides an update on recent initiatives, while taking stock of the progress in implementing the ocean and climate agenda at UNFCCC, in other global policy processes, as well as regionally and nationally. The report also seeks to make recommendations for future action where possible

Building Global Momentum Towards Managing Marine Plastic Pollution Through SDG 14

Target 1 of SDG 14 on marine pollution has been instrumental in building momentum towards a coordinated response to the plastic pollution crisis facing the world’s ocean. The 2017 UN Ocean Conference saw a record number of registered voluntary commitments related to stemming plastic pollution, from local grassroots action to scientific research, as well as government initiatives limiting single‐use plastics. By the time of the second UN Ocean Conference in June 2022, the UN Environment Assembly had, in March 2022, already adopted a resolution to develop by 2025 an international legally binding agreement to end plasticpollution. This international instrument is currently under negotiation and is facing contentious discussions influenced by petroleum interests. However, the very existence of these negotiations is owed to a large degree to the grassroots momentum built through SDG 14 Target 1 and a growing public concern about linkages between plastic pollution and human health and nascent national blue economies. This article will trace the pathway through which SDG 14 voluntary commitments, from local to global, have led by examplewhile building a global sense of urgency to address the plastic pollution crisis. The article will also provide examples of how local communities and governments have experienced and responded to the crisis. Lessons learned from these local examples will be provided to link local measures and priorities to the global level in a way that can inform how the plastic pollution treaty is both negotiated and implemente

In-depth Analysis of Ocean Conference Voluntary Commitments to Support and Monitor their Implementation

The high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of SustainableDevelopment Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources forsustainable development was convened at United Nations Headquarters from 5 to 9 June 2017. TheConference devoted special attention to the health of our oceans and seas and advanceimplementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) 14. As part of the outcomes of theConference, stakeholders registered voluntary commitments for implementation of SDG 14. Theregistration of these commitments continues, and to date 1406 of them have been registered byGovernments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international andregional financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations,academic and research institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropicorganizations and other actors - individually or in partnership. This document provides an analysisof the voluntary commitments to date

Benefits and challenges of MPA strategies

During the 1950s and early 1960s, as coastal and marine ecosystems became increasingly degraded by human activities and heavily exploited by fishing, the calls for management and protection of the marine environments and resources became more stressing. The iinternational community started to develop a response to the need for effective conservation and management of coastal and marine systems. National and global policies were developed around concepts of integrated marine resources and environmental management, and were fostered by several international initiatives, including the United Naitons Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. (United Nations 1972), the protracted negotiations leading to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS; United Nations 1982) and the creation of the UNEP Regional Seas Programme in 1972. Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been considered and promoted as an important and interactive tool to achieve effective ocean conservation when nested in a broader framework of integrated management

Capacity building and technology transfer for improving governance of marine areas both beyond and within national jurisdiction

2020 Elsevier Ltd Capacity building and technology transfer (CBTT) are vital for the success of a new international legally-binding agreement for marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Without effective CBTT, many developing countries are unlikely to be able to fulfill their obligations in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), including by undertaking area-based management, evaluating environmental impact assessments, and benefiting from the utilization of marine genetic resources - or to realize their rights. Meanwhile, several other international commitments require varying forms of CBTT at global, regional and national levels. This article analyses areas where synergies are possible for implementing CBTT, and those where additional, ABNJ-related capacities will need to be mainstreamed for holistic ocean management. We argue that CBTT is more meaningful, effective and resource-efficient if it corresponds to the ecological realities of an interconnected ocean by linking initiatives relating to ABNJ with those within national jurisdiction. We discuss why and how CBTT is also more useful on the national level if it maximizes synergies between international policies and agreements, and allows countries to concurrently participate in a BBNJ agreement and fulfill national priorities related to sustainable development, for example by enhancing livelihoods, eradicating hunger and poverty, and building capacity for science and innovation as part of national blue economies based on healthy ocean ecosystems. The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development offers a timely opportunity to operationalize robust CBTT measures under the BBNJ agreement and maximize synergies with other international commitments - as part of broader efforts to achieve Agenda 2030