UN Ocean Conference (UNOC)
The recent United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC), has concluded with a call for ‘widespread ambition and global commitment to tackle the dire situation in the ocean’.
The second United Nations Ocean Conference ended with the ‘Lisbon Declaration’. This is a political declaration. Its title is- ‘Our Ocean, Our Future: Call for Action’.
It was held in Lisbon, co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal.
The first United Nations Ocean Conference was held in the year 2017 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It was hosted by Fiji and Sweden.
As a part of this, more than 150 countries of the world have collectively agreed to pursue science-based and innovative actions to address ocean emergencies.
This consensus supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal-14 (life under water). This is in line with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences (2021–2030) for Sustainable Development.
Key Findings
- The special importance of implementing the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Agreement was emphasized. This will help ensure the well-being, productivity, sustainable use and sustainability of the ocean.
- Participating countries have made voluntary commitments to conserve or protect at least 30% of the global ocean within marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by
- India is committed to the Coastal Clean Sea Campaign. Along with this, it has also been announced to work towards banning single use plastic.
- During this conference UNESCO released its major report ‘State of the Ocean’ (Experimental Edition).
Key Recommendations
- The link between ocean science and policy must be strengthened.
- Work towards building a principled basis for sustainable ocean planning and management within and beyond national jurisdictions.
Key Commitments at the United Nations Ocean Conference
- Protecting 30% or more of the national maritime areas by 2030.
- Reducing plastic pollution and increasing the use of renewable energy.
- Achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.
- Fund allocation for research on ocean acidification, climate resilience projects and monitoring, control and surveillance
Source- The Hindu
