Highlights and images for 14 June 2019

Highlights for Friday, 14 June 2019

On Friday, delegates to the twentieth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-20) completed their work.In the morning, delegations were given an opportunity to review the Co-Chairs’ draft summary of the week’s discussions. Plenary then reconvened for a page-by-page review. Delegates discussed the draft and suggested corrections and clarifications to best capture discussions.Key points from the summary included:

• crosscutting role of ocean science in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
• unprecedented pressures affecting the ocean, including impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, biodiversity loss, and land-based activities;
• impacts of limited human and institutional capacity on the ability of certain States to conduct and benefit from ocean science;
• benefits of integrating traditional knowledge;
• role of ocean science in supporting a blue growth/blue economy;
• need to strengthen the science-policy interface, including through improved communication; and
• critical importance of international cooperation.

On opportunities to advance ocean science, highlights included discussions on:

• developing technology, and improving data availability and operability;
• supporting capacity-building and transfer of technology;
• promoting ocean literacy, in particular for women and younger generations; and
• engaging local communities in citizen science projects.

Co-Chair Pennelope Althea Beckles (Trinidad and Tobago) thanked delegates for their participation in discussions over the course of the week and closed ICP-20.

IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web updates from the 20th Meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF.

 

L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Co-Chair Pennelope Althea Beckles, Trinidad and Tobago; Co-Chair Isabelle Picco, Monaco; Dmitry Gonchar, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS

Delegates review the draft Co-Chair’s summary of discussions

 

Delegates making a page-by-page review of the Co-Chairs’ draft summary

 

A delegate from Mauritius during the discussion on the Co-Chairs’ draft summary

 

Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS

 

Co-Chair Pennelope Althea Beckles, Trinidad and Tobago, gavels the meeting to a close.

Delegates during review of the Co-Chair’s draft summary

 

Informal discussions among delegates

 

The IISD/ENB team: (L-R) Teya Penniman, US; Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Samoa; Daniel Ball, US; and Wanja Nyingi, Kenya