Event Recording

Organizer

Background

The ocean is an important source of livelihood, food security, economic growth and ecosystem services, including climate regulation and blue carbon, that support human life and the planet. At the same time, as recognized in the World Ocean Assessment, the cumulative impacts of human activities and pressures, including those caused by climate change, are such that the ocean’s carrying capacity is near or at its limit. These impacts have specific gender-related implications, which need to be further understood and addressed.  

The many interlinkages between the ocean and climate change are now well documented. More than ever, questions of ocean and climate change governance have to be addressed through multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral solutions based on science, including in the context of cooperative action and multilateral processes. Such solutions must be grounded in the legal frameworks established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and related instruments, as well as the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. Indeed, an overall understanding of the UNCLOS framework, its implementing agreements and other relevant international instruments is necessary to appreciate how ocean frameworks can contribute to climate mitigation and adaption goals under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, including by building the resilience of communities and ecosystems to the effects of climate change and by supporting mitigation action. It is also an essential prerequisite for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goals 13 and 14, including the enhancement of sustainable blue economies.  

The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, which is part of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, serves as Secretariat of UNCLOS and the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement, supports the work of the UN General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies relating to ocean affairs, as well as the implementation of SDG14. In this context, the Division services a number of inter-governmental processes which have and continue to address the interlinkages between the ocean and climate change, such as the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects, with its World Ocean Assessments, and the Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. It also provides substantive support to the UN Ocean Conference. In addition, alongside the UN Legal Counsel, the Division acts as focal point for UN-Oceans, the inter-agency coordination mechanism on ocean issues within the United Nations system, which over the years has been very active in relation to the work of its Members on ocean/climate. As part of its mandates, the Division implements a number of capacity-building activities to support States in the implementation of the UNCLOS regime and ocean governance frameworks.  Amongst other issues, these activities address the impacts of climate change on the ocean, the interface between the ocean and climate governance frameworks and the science-policy interface. In training future generations of ocean leaders, these capacity-building activities aim at ensuring gender balance in the selection of participants and raise the awareness of participants of gender-related challenges.   

Objectives

• Increased understanding of relevant ocean governance frameworks and their synergies with climate change frameworks, thereby supporting multidisciplinary, mutually supportive and long-term integrated solutions for ocean and climate action at national, regional and global levels 
• Increased understanding of existing capacity-building opportunities 
• Capacity-needs assessment in this area, including with a view to strengthening existing capacity-building programmes 

Structure & Speakers

Key Outcomes

This session highlighted the importance of the ocean, and the need to enhance adaptability of ocean ecosystems, particularly with focus on local communities depending on ocean for livelihoods. Likewise, speakers stressed the importance of ocean governance in protecting ecosystems of the ocean and focused on a general obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. Additionally, the World Maritime University was presented as a key capacity-building institution, as well the collaboration and cooperation amongst government entities, particularly for large ocean states such as the Solomon Islands which are majorly comprised of water. Key takeaways from the session include that ocean governance requires collaboration between interlinked bodies at the global, regional, national, and local levels; as well as the need to recognize the value of all knowledge sources, particularly local and indigenous knowledge. 

• Ocean and climate change governance frameworks need to be effectively integrated in a mutually supportive manner to achieve both ocean and climate-related goals.

• Integrated, multidisciplinary and needs-based capacity-building and technical assistance programmes, which address gender-specific issues, are essential to this end.

• Effective collaboration between all relevant stakeholder and institutions will be at core of success.