Ocean conference calls for action to reverse human damage

MANILA, Philippines -  In the run-up to World Oceans Day today, the United Nations Ocean Conference opened earlier this week with calls for united global action to reverse human damage.

At the opening Monday of the international conference on the health of the world’s oceans and seas, top UN officials urged governments to exercise strong political leadership and new partnerships based on existing legal framework, and take concrete steps such as expanding marine protected areas and reducing plastic waste pollution.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned governments that unless they overcome short-term territorial and resource interests, the state of the oceans will continue to deteriorate.

“Improving the health of our oceans is a test for multilateralism, and we cannot afford to fail,” Guterres said, addressing his first major UN conference as secretary-general.

“We must jointly address the problems of governance that have held us back,” he said, calling for a new strategic vision of how to govern the oceans and marine resources.

One of the main challenges, he said, is to end “the artificial dichotomy” between jobs and healthy oceans: “The conservation and sustainable use of marine resources are two sides of the same coin.”

Among other specific actions, Guterres urged governments to allocate the promised funding for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, as well as improving data collection and sharing best experiences.

He said these works are supported by the UN, which is building partnerships with governments, the private sector and civil society, as well as working with international financial institutions to allocate resources.

The president of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson, also addressed the thousands of participants – including heads of state and government, civil society representatives, business people, as well as actors and ocean and marine life advocates.