The high-level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development) was held from 5-9 June 2017, at UN Headquarters in New York, co-hosted by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden. Approximately 4,000 delegates attended the conference, including 16 Heads of State or Government, two deputy Prime Ministers, 86 Ministers, 16 Vice Ministers, and other government representatives; and participants from the UN system, other intergovernmental organizations, international and regional financial institutions, civil society, academic and research institutions, indigenous peoples and local communities, and the private sector.
The Ocean Conference aimed to: identify ways and means to support the implementation of SDG 14; build on existing successful partnerships and stimulate innovative and concrete new partnerships to advance the implementation of SDG 14; involve all relevant stakeholders; share experiences gained at the national, regional and international levels in the implementation of SDG 14; and contribute to the follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), by providing an input to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
On Monday, 5 June 2017, the Ocean Conference opened with the Kava Ceremony, a traditional Fijian welcome, followed by a Life on Earth video on the ocean, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, outlining the benefits of, and threats faced by, the ocean, and opportunities to address them.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the conference. Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, and Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, were elected Conference Co-Presidents.
Recalling the borderless nature of the ocean, Co-President Lövin thanked Fiji for its critical role in raising the ocean issue on the global agenda, and expressed hope for the conference to be the game changer the ocean needs. Co-President Bainimarama highlighted the threats of climate change and ocean litter, declaring no government can afford to ignore the magnitude of such threats, adding that greedy nations and commercial interests threaten livelihoods in SIDS.
Secretary-General Guterres highlighted how SDG 14 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.
UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson 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; pointed to IUU fishing and harmful fisheries subsidies as driving fish stocks to tipping points, in combination with climate change; and called for: fidelity to SDG 14 and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Frederick Masiiwa Makamure Shava, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), called for resilient infrastructure, sustainable industrialization, and holistic implementation of SDG 14 within the 2030 Agenda. Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of the Conference and Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, emphasized the need for urgent and concrete action to save the ocean, as well as capacity building and enhanced financing.
1992-2017, IISD Reporting Services