From June 5th – 9th, coinciding with World Oceans Day, the United Nations will host at its headquarters in New York a high-level conference to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
The Ocean Conference aims to be the game changer that will reverse the decline in the health of our ocean for people, planet and prosperity. It will be solutions-focused with engagement from all.
The Conference shall comprise in its programme plenary meetings, partnership dialogues and a special event commemorating World Oceans Day. Furthermore, the Conference shall adopt by consensus a concise, focused, intergovernmentally agreed declaration in the form of a "Call for Action" to support the implementation of Goal 14 and a report containing the co-chairs' summaries of the partnership dialogues, as well as a list of voluntary commitments (initiatives voluntarily undertaken by Governments, the UN system, other intergovernmental organizations, international and regional financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors - individually or in partnership - that aim to contribute to the implementation of SDG 14) to be announced at the Conference.
The importance of this conference was stressed by the President of the General Assembly:
“The Ocean Conference represents humanity’s best opportunity to remedy the woes we have placed upon the ocean. Those woes are extensive: from marine pollution to overfishing and destructive fishing practices; from harmful fisheries subsidies to lack of high seas governance; from rising levels of ocean acidity to rising ocean temperatures. If the cycle of decline that accumulated human activity has brought upon the ocean is not reversed, the implications for us all cannot be good”.
You can follow the Ocean Conference live through SDG Media Zone website and social platforms, and keep up with news at the Conference website.
Geonardo follows closely the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 — and furthermore, through our projects, we are joining the global wave to take action and help address the Global Goals.
Our Research and Innovation actions have targeted so far SDG #7 on affordable and clean energy through Start2Act and TASIO, SDG #12 on responsible consumption and production through the project PlasCarb, and SDG #9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure with our projects FORBIO and FISSAC. Keep tuned to find out about our new ideas to address other of the SDGs.
