An online discussion on Making Fisheries Sustainable is taking place during the preparatory process for The Ocean Conference — Our Oceans, Our Future: Partnering for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 — in order to engage stakeholders in assessing the challenges and opportunities related to delivering on implementation of SDG14.4, 14.4 and 14.b aimed at making fisheries sustainable. The discussion runs from 20 March 7 April 2017.
The Ocean Action Hub aims to facilitate multistakeholders’ engagement as part of the preparatory process for the Ocean Conference. Bringing together governments, the UN system, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities related to SDG-14.
The Hub is currently hosting active discussions on ocean issues as an input into the development of the Conference “Call for Action”, and aims to facilitate co-development of solutions and voluntary commitments by multistakeholders, as well as providing a space for connecting and sharing ideas.
“The Ocean Conference”, “Our Oceans, Our Future: Partnering for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14” will take place in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017. The Conference was mandated by the Member States of the United Nations because they recognized that SDG 14 the Oceans Goal needs support to ensure its implementation.
The Conference is expected to:
Identify ways and means to strengthen cooperation for the implementation of SDG 14 and related targets , taking into account their interlinkages with other goals and targets
Build on existing successful partnerships, and launching innovative new ones to advance implementation
Involve all relevant stakeholders to assess progress and identify implementation gaps
Facilitate the sharing of experiences gained through regional and national strategies/institutions
Contribute to the follow-up and review process of SDG 14 by reporting its outcomes to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
According to the General Assembly resolution “Modalities for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14”, A/70/L.64, the Conference will include:
Eight plenary meetings
Seven Partnership Dialogues, which are expected to be interactive and multistakeholder in nature
A special event commemorating World Oceans Day on 8 June 2017.
The outcome of the Conference is expected to be a political declaration and a report summarizing the Partnership Dialogues, focusing on concrete, action-oriented recommendations, as well as voluntary commitments for implementing SDG 14.
The Conference is co-hosted by the Governments of Sweden and Fiji. The designated Secretary-General of the Conference is Mr. Wu Hongbo, UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Under-Secretary General. H.E. Mr Peter Thomson is the President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly.
2017 Ocean Action Hub