Daily report for 23 June 2011

On Thursday, delegates to the twelfth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (Consultative Process or ICP-12) convened in a plenary session involving a presentation on inter-agency cooperation and coordination, followed by discussions on: the process for the selection of topics and panelists so as to facilitate the work of the General Assembly; and issues that could benefit from attention in future work of the General Assembly. The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 am to allow the Secretariat time to produce two documents: a set of elements that could benefit from attention at Rio+20; and the draft Co-Chairs’ Summary Report.

PLENARY SESSION

INTERAGENCY COOPERATION AND COORDINATION: Co-Chair Amb. Milan Jaya Meetarbhan (Mauritius) opened the second plenary session, inviting UN-Oceans to provide information on its activities for cooperation and coordination.

Andrew Hudson, UNDP and UN-Oceans, reviewed key results and activities of UN-Oceans’ members, including: support from the International Atomic Energy Agency and DESA for the high-level oceans panel being convened by Monaco in November 2011; and UNEP’s “Green Economy in a Blue World” report. He also noted UN-Oceans’ task forces on ABNJ and MPAs. Hudson said UN-Oceans had discussed the proposed assessment review on 17 June 2011, and that it would follow procedures to place the review on an upcoming agenda of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.

Hudson also reviewed the role of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) as an interagency body that provides advice to UN agencies. He noted GESAMP has strengthened the scientific basis for implementing Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 and the JPOI, particularly in areas such as: integrated oceans and coastal management; environmental indicators; pollution; ballast water; monitoring and assessments; coordination and cooperation; and emerging issues, such as micro-plastics.

Responding to ARGENTINA, Hudson welcomed the suggestion for UN-Oceans to track meeting schedules to avoid overlap. In response to BRAZIL’s suggestion to strengthen UN-Oceans ahead of the UNCSD and raise its capacity, visibility and relevance, Hudson spoke of the consensus among members that an assessment would be timely and relevant.

On ballast water, CANADA encouraged States to ratify the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments.

PROCESS FOR THE SELECTION OF TOPICS AND PANELISTS SO AS TO FACILITATE THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Co-Chair Amb. Don MacKay (New Zealand) opened this agenda item recalling that the outcome of the meeting will include a summary of issues and ideas to ensure a transparent, objective and inclusive process for the selection of topics and panelists for the consideration of the General Assembly. The topic for ICP-13 is marine renewable energies.

CANADA called for balanced agendas for future ICPs, suggesting that ICP topics continue to be decided for two consecutive years, and, supported by ARGENTINA, encouraged the selection of experts as early as possible. Argentina, for G-77/CHINA, cautioned against the selection of topics for two consecutive years, emphasizing the need for proper consideration of these topics. She also recalled an outcome from ICP-10 on the integration of the three pillars of sustainable development and, supported by CANADA and MOROCCO, emphasized the need for discussions of the Consultative Process to focus on all three elements.

ISSUES THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM ATTENTION IN FUTURE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON OCEAN AFFAIRS AND THE LAW OF THE SEA: Co-Chair MacKay directed delegates to consider the Co-Chairs’ composite streamlined list of issues that could benefit from attention in future work of the General Assembly, which was distributed on Monday, or to propose other topics.

IUCN stressed that ocean acidification, particularly its consequences for fisheries and corals, affects all three pillars of sustainable development. He noted the warnings from scientists about the negative effects of this problem, such as increased vulnerability of coastal areas to storms as corals degrade, and acidification’s role in amplifying the negative consequences of ocean noise.

Co-Chair MacKay said the draft of the Co-Chairs’ Summary Report will be available at 10 am Friday morning, and will include issues and ideas raised during the plenary sessions to facilitate the work of the General Assembly. He added that a second draft document with elements proposed for possible consideration at the UNCSD will be available at 2 pm on Thursday.

Serguei Tarassenko, Director, DOALOS, reiterated the appeal for contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund. He noted two recent contributions from NEW ZEALAND, and said the current balance stands at approximately US$15,000. He urged delegates to provide financial contributions to replenish the Fund. Noting its past financial support from the Fund, MADAGASCAR thanked those governments that have made contributions.

Co-Chair MacKay closed the plenary session at 11:40 am, noting it will reconvene Friday morning at 10:00 am.

IN THE CORRIDORS

Delegates dispatched the morning session quickly, leaving only consideration of the meeting’s outcome and suggested elements for possible discussion at UNCSD. As the final touches were being made to the Co-Chairs’ proposed elements, one participant predicted a short session on Friday, noting that “there is a lot of consensus.” Others, more guardedly, stressed the careful balance the elements would need to tread to avoid triggering protracted debate on issues such as BBNJ. With the early 2 pm release of the draft document, groups formed in the conference hall to begin digesting the elements. Afterward, a number of participants noted that the document reflected many of the issues discussed. Others lamented the absence of attention to overcapacity and the need for MPAs, and one said, if the UNCSD’s ocean agenda only embraces these somewhat superficial elements, “it will be pretty flat and boring.” The stage was set for Friday’s closing discussions.

This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin © <enb@iisd.org> is written and edited by Graeme Auld, Ph,D., Robynne Boyd, Daniela Diz, Ph.D., and Faye Leone. The Digital Editor is Dan Birchall. The Editor is Pamela S. Chasek, Ph.D. <pam@iisd.org>. The Director of IISD Reporting Services is Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI <kimo@iisd.org>. The Sustaining Donors of the Bulletin are the Government of the United States of America (through the Department of State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs), the Government of Canada (through CIDA), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the European Commission (DG-ENV), and the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. General Support for the Bulletin during 2011 is provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Australia, the Ministry of Environment of Sweden, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, SWAN International, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Ministry of Environment (through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies - IGES), the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (through the Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute – GISPRI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Funding for translation of the Bulletin into French has been provided by the Government of France, the Belgium Walloon Region, the Province of Québec, and the International Organization of the Francophone (OIF and IEPF). Funding for translation of the Bulletin into Spanish has been provided by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs. The opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD or other donors. Excerpts from the Bulletin may be used in non-commercial publications with appropriate academic citation. For information on the Bulletin, including requests to provide reporting services, contact the Director of IISD Reporting Services at <kimo@iisd.org>, +1-646-536-7556 or 320 E 46th St., APT 32A, New York, NY10017-3037, USA. The ENB Team at ICP-12 can be contacted by e-mail at <robynne@iisd.org>. 代表団の友