This event, moderated by Ambassador Donatus Keith St. Aimee, Permanent Representative of St. Lucia to the UN, is part of a series of consultations of the Rio+20 Friends of the Ocean to host strategic discussions on the steps necessary to achieve a strong outcome for oceans, coasts and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Julio Baez, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS), outlined the functions of DOALOS relating to fisheries, including: conducting intergovernmental meetings, conferences and workshops on the law of the sea and sustainable fisheries; and cooperating with other international organizations and bodies dealing with oceans issues. Kathleen Abdalla, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), urged parties to register their commitments voluntarily on the DESA website.

Rolf Willmann, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), said the fisheries and aquaculture sector is often overlooked as a contributor to food, nutrition security and poverty reduction. Tim Bostock, World Bank, introducing the Global Partnership for Oceans, called for significant governance reforms that focus on establishing and enforcing institutional arrangements that address the “open access, commons” nature of ocean living resources.

Harlan Cohen, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), called for integrated, multidisciplinary and multisectoral ocean management to ensure that activities of one sector, such as shipping and mining, do not harm the management of activities in fisheries.

Mathew Sebastian, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), urged recognizing traditional practices and the needs and interests of indigenous people and local fishing communities who are dependent on fishery resources.

During the ensuing discussion, participants reflected on: marine protected areas; biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction; eco-certification; the effects of off-shore wind turbines; and the impacts of subsidies on agriculture and fisheries.

Moderated by Ambassador Herman Schaper, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN, this event discussed the challenges facing modern cities, and addressed steps to be taken to build healthy, sustainable cities.

Shazia Rafi, Secretary-General, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), stressed that environmental protection must not be at the expense of economic development, and urged the “silos” of health, energy, development and the environment to work together to find innovative solutions.

Elizabeth Thompson, Rio+20 Executive Coordinator, noted that planning for sustainable cities is unique to each city due to their individual characteristics. She cited specific issues to be addressed, including: the increase of asthma and other diseases as a direct result of climate change, suggesting effective planning and legislation can minimize such outbreaks; and disaster risk planning to reduce the incidence of disease in post-disaster environments.

Pindi Chana, Member of Parliament, Tanzania, spoke on the legislative initiatives for sustainable urban planning in Tanzania. Noting that her country’s experience is applicable to many sub-Saharan African countries, she highlighted three broad categories for action: legislative; budgetary; and governance. She underscored the importance of political will to underpin any action that is taken.

Ruby Pawankar, President, World Allergy Organization, suggested the development of guidelines to prevent disease and allergies and called for global partnerships of multidisciplinary teams to work towards the common goal of reducing the burden of non-communicable disease and provide innovative strategies to achieve this.

Gabriela Rodríguez, Director General, VerdMX, outlining the work her organization does, noted that many citizens are eager to participate in “green” sustainability initiatives, and that her organization works to find ways to involve them. Noting that “ecology is economy,” she said working with private companies can provide win-win solutions, as well as contribute to environmental education and public awareness.

Ramón Cruz, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, detailed a number of transport principles for sustainable cities, including: “cycling” through prioritizing cycle networks; “connect” through creating dense networks of streets and paths; “transit” through supporting high quality transit methods; “mix” through planning for a balance of mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings; “densify” through matching transport with capacity; and “compact” through “compacting” areas to provide short commutes.

This event considered contributions from participants on the current text of the zero draft of Rio+20 outcome document, ensuring oceans’ prominence on the Rio+20 agenda, and assisting implementation of the Rio+20 outcomes vis-à-vis oceans.

Biliana Cicin-Sain, President, Global Ocean Forum, facilitated the session, highlighting the commitment to: continue striving for a strong outcome at negotiations and building on the priorities for Rio+20 with regards to oceans; showcase initiatives that will spur on action for oceans, coasts, and SIDS in a post-Rio+20 world; and consider the opportunities and challenges for implementing the “oceans package” arising from Rio+20.

Andrew Hudson, UNDP, spoke of the need to incentivize positive actions, place an economic value on oceans, and bring the market into the oceans discussion.

Ambassador Dessima Williams, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the UN, highlighted the need to prioritize critical areas, as well as negotiate follow-up actions, to ensure that the real impact of Rio+20 is not missed. She stressed the need for people to have a better understanding of managing resources, called for mobilizing citizens into action and urged linking science to steps needed for achieving sustainable development.

Participants also addressed: building a strong coalition of stakeholders for oceans; putting targets into timelines; accountability for partnerships; and lack of funds contributing to collapsed partnerships.

One participant suggested a moratorium on subsidies, while another focused on the impacts of harmful chemicals and persistent organic pollutants on the coastlines of SIDS. Most participants called for realistic outcomes from Rio+20 that are achievable, and others voiced concern that the competing uses of the oceans complicate the management of oceanic resources.