Summary
On Tuesday, nearly 100 participants gathered in Seoul, Republic of Korea, for the 2nd SOI Global Dialogue to review progress made since the first meeting and consider a path forward to accelerate progress on the Aichi Targets and Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
Kang Joon-Suk, Vice Minister, Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea, welcomed participants, highlighting the benefits to humanity provided by marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Jihyun Lee, CBD, introduced the meeting’s theme as unlocking potential for transformational change towards sustainability. Opening speakers underscored the need for coordinated regional action and ecosystem-based approaches, while recognizing different contexts, starting points and mandates.
Co-Chairs Dixon Waruinge, Nairobi Convention, and Stefán Ásmundsson, Government of Iceland, opened the plenary session on the meeting’s objectives. Key points included:
- the need to translate long-term thinking to short-term actions;
- political commitments made at recent ocean-related conferences;
- progress on a legally binding instrument on conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity; and
- work on the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development - a global framework to close knowledge gaps.
During the afternoon, panel presentations and discussions focused on cross-sectoral cooperation at the regional scale, inputs to relevant global processes, and initiatives to strengthen regional ocean governance. Panelists and participants shared experiences, and lessons learned through case studies. Recurrent themes included:
- the need for scientific assessments;
- development and monitoring of targets and indicators;
- opportunities to build on existing collaborations and to harmonize and streamline strategies and policies; and
- securing and optimizing resources to facilitate implementation of SDGs and Aichi Targets.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies on Accelerating Progress Toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Sustainable Development Goals. Our summary report is available in HTML or PDF format.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz
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Opening of the meeting
Participants make the Korean finger heart symbol during the group photo
Jihyun Lee, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Joon-Suk Kang, Vice Minister, Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea
Takehiro Nakamura, United Nations Environment (UNEP)
Eunoak Kim, Vice President, Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK)
Evolving global ocean policy-scape: developments since the first meeting of the SOI Global Dialogue
L-R: Co-chairs Stefán Ásmundsson, Government of Iceland, and Dixon Waruinge, Nairobi Convention; Jihyun Lee, CBD; Michele Ameri, UN Division of Oceans and Law of the Sea (UN DOALOS); Wenxi Zhu, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission – UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO); Helen Davies, UNEP; Piero Mannini, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and Yoshinobu Takei, UN DESA.
Jihyun Lee, CBD, and Yoshinobu Takei, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Co-chairs Stefán Ásmundsson, Government of Iceland, and Dixon Waruinge, Nairobi Convention
Alyson Jihee Won, Emcee
Michele Ameri, UN DOALOS
Yoshinobu Takei, UN DESA
Piero Mannini, FAO
Participants confer during the session
Panel Discussion - Cross-sectoral cooperation at the regional scale and inputs to relevant global processes
Panelists confer before the start of the session
Kosi Latu, Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Panelists during the session
Takehiro Nakamura, UNEP
Panel Discussion - Emerging initiatives related to strengthening regional ocean governance
Barbara Neumann, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), addresses the audience
Participants confer during the session
A participant poses a question during discussions
Around the venue
Dixon Waruinge, Nairobi Convention (center) and Iryna Makarenko, Black Sea Commission (right)
Participants during the session