European Union

The Before the Blue COP workshop opened on Wednesday 10 April, at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain. Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, Spain, welcomed participants and called for increasing public awareness on ocean and climate interlinkages. In a video message HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco reiterated his commitment to champion interlinkages between the ocean and climate agendas. Rémi Parmentier, Because the Ocean Initiative, and Loreley Picourt, Ocean and Climate Platform, moderated a roundtable featuring: Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Ocean, Fiji; Manuel Barange, UN FAO; Anders Jessen, EU Commission; and Sébastien Treyer, CEO, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). In his concluding remarks, Thomson underscored that holding a blue COP is a “one and only opportunity,” stressing the need to grasp this opportunity. Via a video message, the President of the upcoming 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Carolina Schmidt, Chile, invited workshop participants to the “blue COP.” She underscored that an effective global response to climate change is not possible without a global response to ocean challenges. In the afternoon session, which took place at the Fundación Biodiversidad, participants outlined their expectations for the workshop, including: the need to identify milestones to foster interlinkages between the climate and ocean agendas; and exchanging knowledge with ocean and climate experts. Rémi Parmentier emphasized the workshop series’ objective to provide room for breaking down silos and exploring the design of ocean-enhanced NDCs, bearing in mind regional differences. Iñigo Losada, University of Cantabria, noted ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and sea level rise are key threats. Joanna Post, UNFCCC Secretariat, and Paul Watkinson, Chair of UNFCCC SBSTA, provided insights into how ocean issues are included in institutional arrangements under the UNFCCC. On regional perspectives, Susana Salvador, OSPAR Commission, delineated how the interlinkages between ocean and climate issues are considered in the North-East Atlantic. Gaetano Leone, UNEP-MAP-Barcelona Convention highlighted it is oftentimes more manageable to agree on political processes and mobilize higher levels of commitment at the regional rather than at the global level.

Highlights for Wednesday, 10 April 2019 HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco delivered a video message to workshop participants, reiterating his commitment to support interlinkages between the ocean and climate agendas. The Before the Blue COP workshop opened on Wednesday 10 April, at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain. Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, Spain, welcomed participants and called for increasing public awareness on ocean and climate interlinkages. In a video message HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco reiterated his commitment to champion interlinkages between the ocean and climate agendas.Rémi Parmentier, Because the Ocean Initiative, and Loreley Picourt, Ocean and Climate Platform, moderated a roundtable featuring: Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Ocean, Fiji; Manuel Barange, UN FAO; Anders Jessen, EU Commission; and Sébastien Treyer, CEO, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). In his concluding remarks, Thomson underscored that holding a blue COP is a “one and only opportunity,” stressing the need to grasp this opportunity.Via a video message, the President of the upcoming 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Carolina Schmidt, Chile, invited workshop participants to the “blue COP.” She underscored that an effective global response to climate change is not possible without a global response to ocean challenges.In the afternoon session, which took place at the Fundación Biodiversidad, participants outlined their expectations for the workshop, including: the need to identify milestones to foster interlinkages between the climate and ocean agendas; and exchanging knowledge with ocean and climate experts. Rémi Parmentier emphasized the workshop series’ objective to provide room for breaking down silos and exploring the design of ocean-enhanced NDCs, bearing in mind regional differences.Iñigo Losada, University of Cantabria, noted ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and sea level rise are key threats. Joanna Post, UNFCCC Secretariat, and Paul Watkinson, Chair of UNFCCC SBSTA, provided insights into how ocean issues are included in institutional arrangements under the UNFCCC. On regional perspectives, Susana Salvador, OSPAR Commission, delineated how the interlinkages between ocean and climate issues are considered in the North-East Atlantic. Gaetano Leone, UNEP-MAP-Barcelona Convention highlighted it is oftentimes more manageable to agree on political processes and mobilize higher levels of commitment at the regional rather than at the global level. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates and a summary report from the Technical Workshop “Before the Blue COP”, which is available in HTML and PDF. (L-R): Rémi Parmentier, Because the Ocean Initiative; Loreley Picourt, Ocean & Climate Platform; Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Ocean, Fiji; Manuel Barange, UN FAO; Anders Jessen, EU Commission; Sébastien Treyer, CEO, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). Rémi Parmentier, Because the Ocean Initiative Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, Spain, delivered opening remarks. Teresa Solana, Spain, introduces the afternoon session. Sonia Castañeda Rial, Fundación Biodiversidad, welcomed participants for the afternoon session of the workshop taking place at the Fundación Biodiversidad. Teresa Solana, Spain, Rémi Parmentier, Because the Ocean Initiative, and Itziar Martín, Spain, moderating the roundtables in the afternoon session. Representatives from Finland and the European Commission during the afternoon session. View of the dais in the morning roundtable. Via a video message, Carolina Schmidt, Chile, the President of the upcoming 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), invited workshop participants to the “blue COP. Joanna Post, UNFCCC Secretariat, delineated how ocean issues are addressed by institutional arrangements under the UNFCCC. Group picture of the workshop participants

Highlights for Friday, 5 April 2019 IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, gavelled the meeting to a close at 5:50 pm. Delegates at the second session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) met on Friday, 5 April 2019 for the last day of IGC-2. They finalized their discussions on cross-cutting issues, heard reports from the informal working group facilitators, and discussed the way forward. They shared views on:•    The nature of the text to be discussed at IGC-3, with some favoring treaty text, and others preferring a streamlined document that eliminates options that garnered no agreement at IGC-2; and •    The format of the next meeting, with many underlining the need for parallel meetings, and small group meetings (informal-informals) to further progress.As the meeting drew to a close, the sense of urgency to begin treaty-based negotiations was palpable. During the final plenary, IGC President Rena Lee outlined her plan to develop a concise document containing treaty text to facilitate focused negotiations at IGC-3. She closed the meeting at 5:50 pm.The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of IGC-2 will be available on Monday, 8 April 2019. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC 2. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Informal Working Group on Cross-Cutting Issues View of the informal working group on cross-cutting issues Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Jean Didier Ramde, Burkina Faso Gou Haibo, China Asha Challenger, Antigua and Barbuda Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Deborah Manase, Marshall Islands Sunan Rustam, Indonesia Vezua Paiva, Angola L-R: Peggy Kalas and Duncan Currie, High Seas Alliance Susan Whelan, Holy See Lionel Yee, Singapore Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on area-based management tools Olai Uludong, Palau, Facilitator of the informal working group on capacity building and transfer of marine technology IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, presented the reports for the informal working group on environmental impact assessments and cross-cutting issues on behalf of René Lefebre. L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore and Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); and Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS Evan Bloom, US Mohammed Bessedik, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan Fuad Bateh, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China Audrey Abayena, Ghana Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Maria Angela Ponce, the Philippines Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) UNDOALOS Secretariat Delegates from EU with IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States Delegates from Latin America Delegates from the African Group Delegates from CARICOM Participants from the High Seas Alliance Delegates from the IGC-2 Bureau L-R: William Oddo, Belinda Kiilu, and James Waweru, Kenya L-R: Nicholas Ioannides, Cyprus, with Teresa Cruz Sardiñas and Indira Guardia, Cuba Delegates from India L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore (center) with ENB IGC-2 team members Bernard Soubry, Priscila Andrade, Asheline Appleton, Tallash Kantai, Asterios Tsioumanis, and Franz Dejon

Highlights for Thursday, 4 April 2019 L-R: Joan Yang, Nauru; Antoine Misonne, Belgium; Martín Mainero, Argentina; and Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands Delegates at the second session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) convened in an informal working group on cross-cutting issues on Thursday.They considered: the clearinghouse mechanism; review, including financial resources, compliance and liability; final clauses; definition of key terms; general principles and approaches; scope. During the lunch break, delegates attended the last side-events of the meeting: “30x30: A Blueprint for Ocean Protection - and how the global ocean treaty can deliver that,” presented by Greenpeace; “Measuring progress in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the basis of the indicator for target 14.c: UN-Oceans’ proposed methodology,” presented by UN-Oceans.In the corridors, some delegates considered the trek through the labyrinth of options in parts of the document as “a painful, but essential exercise” to further develop mutual understanding. Others were less enthusiastic: at the end of the session, two veterans said that progress felt like “one step forward, two steps back,” or “tap dancing on the spot.”For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC 2. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Informal Working Group on Cross-Cutting Issues L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS; and Bart Smit Duijzentkunst, UNDOALOS Diedre Mills, Jamaica, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Alain Tellier, Canada Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) Luke Roughton, New Zealand Juan Cuéllar Torres, Colombia, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Sora Lokita, Indonesia Metod Špaček, EU L-R: Kukhyun Ahn and Jung So-Hyun, Republic of Korea Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb, International Council of Environmental Law Camille Loth, World Wide Fund for Nature Lionel Yee, Singapore Evan Bloom, US Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Justin Whyatt, Australia L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore and Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS Steve Fletcher, UN Environment Programme Mamadou Diallo, Senegal Gillian Shirley Malielegaoi, Samoa Zeynep Gūdūk, Turkey L-R: Martín Mainero, Argentina, consulting with Joan Yang, Nauru L-R: John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo, with Serge Ségura, Ambassador for Oceans, France L-R: Arne Langlet and Alice Vadrot, University of Vienna, Austria Delegates from Australia Delegates from Nigeria