Addressing the urgency of action on ocean issues at COP23
An all-day event on 11 November 2017, the Oceans Action Day at COP23, will bring together Heads of State, ministers, financial organizations, international agencies, civil society and other key stakeholders to focus attention on the issues related to the ocean and climate and on the practical actions being taken to address these issues.
The Oceans Action Day, part of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, will focus on: 1) concrete actions and commitments with a special attention to SIDS; 2) linkages of actions with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the signatories to the Paris Agreement; and 3) specific requirements for capacity development.
The Day, co-organized by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, will feature nine sessions on: high-level perspectives on the way forward, science and the ocean, resilience of fisheries and aquaculture to climate change, ocean renewable energy, Blue Carbon, financial resources, ecosystem-based adaptation in ocean and coastal zones, migration and displacement, and keynote addresses on what must be done now to attain a sustainable future. See the detailed program here.
In the concluding session of the Oceans Action Day, the Because the Ocean Signing Ceremony will take place, chaired by the Government of Chile. The Because the Ocean Declaration was launched at COP22 to highlight the relevance of ocean protection in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and makes a call for all Parties to include ocean protection in their NDCs. Through this event, the Declaration aims to reach more than 30 expressions of support from governments from all regions.
The Oceans Action Day is organized by IOC-UNESCO, FAO, Global Ocean Forum, IUCN, Ocean and Climate Platform, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Japan), and Oceano Azul Foundation/Oceanário de Lisboa (Portugal). Collaborators include Conservation International, Future Ocean Alliance, Government of Chile, Government of Grenada, Government of Seychelles, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (United Kingdom), Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Initiative, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Nature Conservancy, University of Delaware, and World Bank.
For updated information on Oceans Action Day at COP23, please visit: https://roca-initiative.com/oceans-action-day-at-cop-23/
For more information, please contact:
Julian Barbière (j.barbiere(at)unesco.org)
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