3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- Informal briefing by the co-facilitators on the preparations for the preparatory meeting for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (1 February 2017)
- Briefing by the co-facilitators of the preparatory process (1 February 2017)
- Statement of Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Special Advisor to the Co-Presidents on oceans and legal matters (1 February 2017)
- Presentation of the Secretary-General’s background note for the preparatory process of the United Nations Conference to support the implementation of SDG 14 (1 February 2017)
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Background note of the Secretary-General for the preparatory process of the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
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- Themes for the partnership dialogues - Letter from the President of the General Assembly (24 Feb 2017)
- Letter from Mr. Wu Hongbo, USG, DESA to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the UN (27 Feb 2017)
- Letter from President of the General Assembly on the preparatory process (24 January 2017)
- Letter from President of the General Assembly on appointing the co-facilitators, PRs of Portugal and Singapore, to oversee the preparatory process of the SDG 14 Conference (24 October 2016)
- Letter from President of the General Assembly to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the UN to convene a preparatory meeting on 15 and 16 February 2017 (3 November 2016)
- Letter from Mr. Wu Hongbo, USG, DESA, seeking contributions to the trust fund in support of preparations for the Conference to all Permanent Representatives to the UN (2 December 2016)
The President of the General Assembly will convene a two-day preparatory meeting, on 15-16 February 2017, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, to be chaired by H.E. Mr. Alvaro Mendonya Moura, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the UN, and H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN, the two co-facilitators, with a view to considering the themes for the partnership dialogues and elements for a "Call for Action".
The co-facilitators will present a concise draft "Call for Action" no later than March 2017, taking into account the deliberations of the preparatory meeting and other inputs, without prejudice to the processes established by the General Assembly in its resolution 69/292 of 19 June 2015.
The intergovernmental consultations on a "Call for Action" will be concluded by May 2017.
The President of the General Assembly will finalize the organizational arrangements for the Conference no later than April 2017.
The General Assembly encourages States and international donors, as well as the private sector, financial institutions, foundations and other donors in a position to do so, to support the preparations for the Conference through voluntary contributions to a trust fund in support of preparations for the Conference and to support the participation of representatives of developing countries, priority being given to representatives of the least developed countries and small island developing States, including coverage of economy-class air tickets, daily subsistence allowances and terminal expenses, in the meetings of the Conference and its preparatory meeting.
The Ocean Conference and its preparatory meeting will be open to a broad range of stakeholders including non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors.
Pre-registration is required for eligible representatives of non-governmental organizations and major groups identified in Agenda 21 to participate in the preparatory meeting. Pre-registration is now closed.
Click here to download the logistics note for stakeholders on the preparatory meeting.
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Please click here to find a printable version of the side events calendar.
This side event brings together stakeholders from the tourism and shipping industries, together with civil society representatives, to consider the role of partnerships toward more sustainable shipping and tourism practices to implement the SDGs, in particular SDG14. This will focus on the cruise industry and efforts to reduce marine pollution, increase benefits for small island states through sustainable tourism, and transfer marine technology inrelation to shipping and transportation.
The international NGO Peace Boat has been conducting advocacy and education programmes onboard a chartered passenger ship since 1983. Three global voyages are carried out each year for three months each, with around 1000 people on board. As a committed campaigner for the SDGs, Peace Boat’s ship sails with the Global Goals logo on its hull, working to inspire people onboard and in countries visited during voyages to actively engage in achieving the goals.
As well as introducing current SDG14 related activities, this side event will announce the voluntary commitment of the “Ecoship Project”. Sailing in 2020 as a flagship for the SDGs, the 55,000 ton, 2000 passenger capacity nature-inspired vessel combines radical energy efficiency measures and the use of renewable energy at a level never achieved before in maritime transport. With zero Nox and sulphur emissions and 40% reduction in CO2, the Ecoship seeks to address ocean acidification. The ship has closed water and closed waste systems to combat marine pollution. The Ecoship will not only offer a solution to climate change and contribute towards the implementation of SDG14, will take thousands of people around the world every year to places that are directly affected by rising sea levels and the degradation of marine ecosystems.
Speakers:
Meri Joyce, International Coordinator, Peace Boat
Robin Lewis, Project Coordinator, Ecoship
Jon Bruno, Executive Director, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
One of the outcomes of The Ocean Conference is a list of voluntary commitments for the implementation of Goal 14, to be announced at the Conference.
This special event marks the launch of The Ocean Conference Registry of Voluntary Commitments on SDG 14 by the Conference Secretariat (UN DESA). The event will demonstrate the online registration process, including with a few real examples of voluntary commitments that are being made. To be included in the final report of the Conference, voluntary commitments should be registered, or announced, by 9 June 2017.
The event will also include a brief overview of the Ocean Action Hub, a knowledge sharing web platform developed by UNDP that provides resources and opportunities for interaction around the globe to assist stakeholders get engaged on ocean action.
Moderator: Ms. Francella Strickland, Senior Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals Team, Office of the President of the General Assembly
Number of statements/presentations: 94
