Summary
The Ocean Conference opened on Monday, 5 June 2017. Plenary addressed organizational matters and heard statements from high-level Member State representatives and UN officials. In the afternoon, a partnership dialogue focused on addressing marine pollution.
Plenary elected Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, and Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, as Conference Co-Presidents.
Recalling the borderless nature of the ocean, Co-President Isabella Lövin expressed hope for the conference to be the “game changer” the ocean needs. Co-President Frank Bainimarama highlighted the threats of climate change and ocean litter, noting that greedy nations and commercial interests threaten livelihoods in small island developing states.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed towards ways SDG 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development) serves as a roadmap towards a clean ocean, including: ending the dichotomy between economic activities and ocean health; building strong partnerships and political leadership based on the existing legal framework, such as on MPAs and fisheries management; making new funding commitments; deepening our knowledge base; and sharing best practices. General Assembly President Peter Thomson (Fiji) considered the UN Ocean Conference the “best opportunity we will ever have to reverse the cycle of decline in which human activities have put the ocean.”
In the afternoon, a partnership dialogue on addressing marine pollution shared perspectives on challenges and solutions on marine litter, including addressing land-based pollution and reducing plastics and microplastics production and consumption.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily reports and daily web coverage, and has provided a summary and analysis report in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
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Plenary Session
Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Fiji
Frederick Makamure Shava, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Zimbabwe
From L-R: António Guterres, UN Secretary-General; Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Fiji; and Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister, Sweden
President Evo Morales, Bolivia
President Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon
President Peter Christian, Federated States of Micronesia
President Baron Divavesi Waqa, Nauru
President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe
Prime Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga, Tuvalu
Prime Minister Henry Puna, Cook Islands
Mohamed Shainee, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Maldives
President Tommy Esang Remengesau, Palau
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka
Partnership Dialogue 1: Addressing Marine Pollution
Co-Chair Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Indonesia
Didier Reynders, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belgium
Grete Faremo, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Nancy Wallace, US Department of Commerce
Adrian Grenier, newly appointed UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador
View of the dais during the Partnership Dialogue
Elliott Harris, UN Environment
Co-Chair Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway
Kosi Latu, Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica
Habib N. El-Habr, UN Environment (UNEP)
Sybil Seitzinger, University of Victoria, Canada
Peter Kershaw, Chair, Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment (GESAMP)
Mohamed Shainee, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Maldives
Marko Pomerants, Minister of Environment, Estonia
Isabel Cecilia de Saint Malo García de Alvarado, Vice President and Foreign Minister, Panama
Cultural Opening
