Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Dennis Francis,
on World Oceans Day
7 June 2024
[As Delivered]
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to join you in celebrating World Oceans Day – particularly under this year’s apt theme of awakening new depths.
Indeed, there is so much still to learn about oceans – and, importantly, to reverse the damage being caused to our precious lifeline resource.
With our sights set on the 2025 Ocean Conference in Nice, the Ocean Action event underway in San José, Costa Rica – and the preparatory meeting in New York next month, we must urgently reflect on what we can do better to restore and sustainably manage the rich resources of oceans.
Our answers also take on added importance as we look forward with anticipation to the Summit of the Future in September 2024 – where world leaders are expected to forge a global consensus and action, among others, for conservation and sustainable use of our oceans and seas.
Oceans are the origin of all life on Earth – covering more than 70 per cent of our planet.
Offering daily subsistence for more than 35 per cent of the global population – especially in developing countries – and generating 60 million jobs around the world, oceans provide countless benefits to humanity’s existence.
Moreover, oceans are our strongest ally against climate change – absorbing 25 percent of all carbon dioxide – making them the greatest carbon sink on the planet.
At the same time, oceans suffer due to the climate crisis and myriad types of pollution generated by socially irresponsible human activity.
The consequences of our bad choices have been dire – seen in increasingly rising sea-levels, proliferating extreme weather events, and marine heat waves that have led to coral reef degradation, ocean acidification and other imbalances – also compounded by illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and extractive activities on the seabed.
It is our joint responsibility to course correct – and recommit to sustainably manage the ocean’s precious resources so as to ensure their availability intergenerationally.
On this front, some progress has been made.
Now that the agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) has been agreed, the General Assembly has established a preparatory commission to bring about its entry into force.
Further, I am encouraged that negotiations on a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution are proceeding well – a treaty of critical importance, if we are to achieve success in significantly improving the health and sustainability of our oceans.
Excellencies,
In these pursuits, we would do well to follow the lead of Small Island Developing States – which are at the vanguard of ocean conservation efforts and advocacy worldwide.
Their strength was admirably on display when nine SIDS – led by Vanuatu – won a successful ruling from the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea that carbon emissions can be considered a sea pollutant.
This historic ruling obliges countries to mitigate the effects of carbon emissions on the oceans – potentially creating an important basis for future climate jurisprudence.
But this is not simply a win for SIDS alone – it is a win for the environment, our oceans and seas, and certainly for all of humanity.
Its practical weight was recently reflected at the Fourth International Conference on SIDS – which I had the privilege of attending – and where world leaders adopted the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, addressing various aspects of ocean health, from conservation and sustainable use of marine resources to biodiversity loss and plastic pollution.
Building on this success, at my initiative, the General Assembly has also taken decisive action to build momentum for urgent, targeted redress – notably through its decision to convene a high-level plenary meeting on the threats posed by sea-level rise, on 25 September 2024.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me end on another positive note that, I am pleased to have announced yesterday the appointment of Their Excellencies Tania Serafim Yvonne Romualdo and James Martin Larsen, Permanent Representatives of Cabo Verde and Australia, respectively, as Co-Facilitators for the intergovernmental consultations mandated in resolution 78/128 of 18 December 2023.
Their mandate is to facilitate development of a brief, concise, action-oriented, and intergovernmentally agreed declaration, to be concluded by 1 May 2025 for adoption by consensus at the high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: that is, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
On this World Oceans Day, let us redouble our efforts to support and advance ocean action, build much needed capacity in SIDS and other developing countries – and promote innovative financing solutions that drive transformation and scale up resilience.
Together, we can navigate towards a blue future – where through effective management, vibrant, ecologically rich oceans make their maximum contribution to peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.
I thank you.
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