8 June 2011: In a message delivered on the occasion of World Ocean Day, Biliana Cicin-Sain, President of the Global Ocean Forum, called for commitment to achieve a significant ocean outcome at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), and announced the launch of “Rio+20 Friends of the Ocean.”
Cicin-Sain said the UNCSD provides an opportunity to “craft the way to a new future: a future where we can all live and prosper in a low-carbon global economy in health and harmony with nature.” She called on ocean leaders from governments, international agencies, NGOs, scientific institutions and the private sector to mobilize, and to engage in discussion on what the ocean outcomes at Rio+20 should be. She listed topics that need to be addressed, including: scaling up the practice of integrated oceans governance to all countries and regions; providing sufficient financing for developing countries and small island developing States (SIDS) to cope with the effects of climate change; providing adequate financing to support capacity development and public education for integrated oceans governance; instituting integrated oceans governance in the UN; bringing the actions of the global negotiating fora related to oceans into coherence; and including oceans in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) outcomes.
The Global Ocean Forum’s “Rio+20 Friends of the Ocean,” she said, will aim to support governments and others who wish to achieve a significant ocean outcome at the UNCSD. She invited individuals and organizations interested in participating to contact the Global Ocean Forum Program Coordinator, Miriam Balgos ([email protected])
Cicin-Sain also informed of the release of two documents prepared by the Global Ocean Forum: the Draft Plan for Rio+20 Assessments, and the Table of Action Items from Agenda 21/Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI).