The 2nd UN Conference on the Oceans was held at the center of an information conference in Rabat

Friday, June 24, 2022 at 11:20 am

Rabat – A presentation on the second United Nations Ocean Conference was organized by the United Nations Information Center in Rabat on Thursday.

The meeting was an opportunity to attend the United Nations Conference scheduled for June 27, July 1, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal in the presence of international organizations, DNGOs, the scientific community and heads of state. The private sector, the United Nations Information Center in Rabat, said in a statement.

The report said that the second ocean conference of the United Nations was “coming at a time when the world is facing three crises of climate change, biodiversity erosion and pollution, which threaten the health of the oceans and the continuity of dependent economic activity.”

“This is a continuation of the United Nations’ efforts to reverse the degradation of marine ecosystems, to ensure their sustainability, and to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal No. 14 (SDG14),” the source said.

The second United Nations conference, entitled “Enhancing Maritime Action Based on Science and Innovation to Implement Goal 14: Partnerships and Solutions”, will usher in a new phase of global action to protect the oceans and marine environment. And improving the blue economy based on scientific research, innovation and green technologies for the conservation and sustainable management of marine resources.

The political declaration expected from the conference should mark the renewed global commitment to cooperation, with a view to ensuring the protection of the oceans in relation to key issues such as climate, biodiversity and pollution.

He is expected to express support for the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to appoint an intergovernmental panel to prepare an international agreement on plastic pollution, including marine pollution. It should reaffirm the United Nations Decade of Marine Science’s support for sustainable development and reaffirm UNESCO’s work in this area.

The global event will feature eight themed dialogues dedicated to the blue economy, marine acidification, scientific research skills development, technology transfer, the fight against marine pollution, protection and restoration of ecosystems, and the development of integration between marine and coastal areas. SDG14 and other SDGs to facilitate maritime fishing and access to small-scale fishing markets, as well as strengthen the legal protection of the seas.

Containing 70% of the planet’s surface and providing 50% of oxygen, the oceans act as a major barrier against the effects of climate change by absorbing 25% of carbon dioxide emissions.

The seas support the 3 billion people who depend on the oceans and the more than 200 million people who are directly or indirectly involved in the seafaring industry.

Human activity is a source of 11 million tons of waste each year, ending up in the ocean and endangering marine life, fishing and tourism.

“Despite these threats, experts believe the situation is not hopeless. There are concrete solutions that are capable of providing much needed protection to the seas and restoring their health,” the report said.

The press conference was attended by Mohamed Yassin El Aruzi, Head of the Cooperation Division of the Department of Marine Fisheries, and Mohamed Aloy, Director of the Scientific Program at the UNESCO Maghreb Office.