In the Head Quarter of the United Nations in New-York, a large international conference was held from 5th to 9th June 2017. Co-hosted by the Governments of Fidji and Sweden, the first Ocean Conference was organised as part of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal n°14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
This conference is particularly of importance from its scale, but also as it is a unique mechanism for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.
The Ocean Conference comprised five different elements.
An official discussion was held in order to adopt by consensus a “concise, focused, intergovernmental agreed” Call for Action to support the implementation of SDG14.
Seven thematic, interactive and multi-stakeholder discussions were organised. The goal of these dialogues was to focus on recommendations for the implementation of SDG14 that would be included in the final report of the conference.
In the margin of the conference, more than 140 side events were organised to share experiences and provide alternative opportunities for dialogue on SDG14 related topics.
All side events and the full program HERE.
They are initiatives voluntarily undertaken by Governments, the United Nation system or any other type of stakeholders. They drive at implementing the SDG14 and its associated targets.
A reception was hosted by UN Office of Legal Affairs, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea in the General Assembly Hall to celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8. The Secretary General delivered his Annual World Ocean Day Message and the winners of the Annual World Ocean Day oceanic photo competition were announced.
The World Ocean Network attended the event and supported Voluntary Commitments on hot topics such as Ocean Literacy, World Ocean Day, Ocean and Climate actions and public engagement in research.