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Regional Seas Weekly News
A compilation of news, events, publications from the Regional Seas Programme and other sources.
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FROM THE REGIONAL SEAS CONVENTIONS AND ACTION PLANS (RSCAPs)
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Pacific Islands Launch Survival Tips To Teach The World How To Survive Climate Change, Ahead Of COP27
The Pacific Islands need an urgent commitment for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and a call for action is being launched by Pacific Small Islands Developing States in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP27 in Egypt on November 6th. SPREP, an intergovernmental organisation charged with protecting and improving the environment for the Pacific Islands, is sharing four ultimate climate survival tips
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Enhancing partnerships and environmental protection through the ACP MEAs Programme
The third Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean, and the Pacific Countries (ACP MEAs) Programme was held from 19-20 October in Brussels, Belgium.The third PSC brought together representatives from the European Commission, the OACPS Secretariat, UNEP, FAO and its Partners, African Union Commission (AUC), the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the European Environment Bureau, the Noumea Convention Secretariat, the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, Abidjan Convention Secretariat and Cartagena Convention Secretariat. The meeting was also attended by MEAs Secretariats for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, and Flora (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
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Through Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and a Regional Information Management Strategy (IMS)
MSP aims to organize and balance the many different sectors and users of ocean space—from fisheries, shipping, tourism, etc.— while maintaining the environment’s integrity for enhanced sustainability. MSP builds on existing blue economy-promoting tools and approaches like Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Protected Areas. Harmonious management of coastal and marine resources can be achieved through proper Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to accommodate all the stakeholders. There are important linkages between MSP approaches, Information Management, and Regional Ocean Governance. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has been recognized as an important integrated planning framework for promoting sustainable ocean governance.
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Call for registration: Participation of observers in intergovernmental meetings of the Cartagena Convention
In accordance with Rules 53 (Participation of UN and its Subsidiary Bodies) and 54 (Participation of other Observers) of the Cartagena Convention’s Rules of Procedure, the Secretariat may invite the ''United Nations, any subsidiary body thereof, or any specialized agency...any international inter-governmental or non-governmental organization, which so requests, to any meeting or conference as an observer provided that organization has a direct concern in the protection and development of the marine environment of the Wider Caribbean Region.''
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The new video explains in a nutshell, why the Holistic Assessments on the State of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS) are so important. The next assessment, HOLAS 3, will be released in 2023.
The HOLAS assessments provide regular updates on the environmental situation in the Baltic Sea and, with each report captures a ‘moment’ in the dynamic life history of the Baltic Sea.
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Climate action in the Mediterranean: join the conversation at COP 27
The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and its Components are taking part in the Mediterranean Pavilion located in the Blue Zone at UNFCCC COP 27 (6-18 November 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt).
The Mediterranean Pavilion—the first of its kind to be set up at a UN Climate Change Conference—is an initiative led by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) together with UNEP/MAP and the PRIMA Foundation, along with a coalition of institutions dealing with climate action in the region.
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'One voice South Asia' - South Asia Environment ministers meeting
SACEP will be organizing an Environment Ministers Meeting of the SACEP member states, under the theme "One Voice South Asia" at COP27 on 09 November 2022.
SACEP will also be organising a side event at COP27 on "The prospect and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework as a driver of climate ambition" on 15 November 2022. SACEP is pleased to invite you to participate in this important event.
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New Member – Ecuador
The Secretariat is pleased to announce that Ecuador became a Member of the Commission on 19 October 2022.
Ecuador coordinates and promotes scientific research projects of national interest in Antarctica within its Technical-Scientific Program
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Nairobi Convention at the 12th WIOMSA Symposium
The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) Scientific Symposium is the largest open scientific conference focused on the marine and coastal environment in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). It is a unique, regionwide, and global platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, capacity development, strategic action, and cooperation. The 12th edition of the WIOMSA Scientific Symposium was held in October 2022 and was aptly themed “A New Decade of Western Indian Ocean Science”. This year the Symposium was co-convened by WIOMSA, the Sustainable Seas Trust and the Nairobi Convention and welcomed more than 800 participants over five days in Gqeberha, South Africa.
Besides being co-conveners, the Nairobi Convention also participated in the Symposium by hosting several mini-symposia and special sessions around these themes: Ocean Governance, Marine Spatial Planning, Land-Sea Integration, Ocean Science-Policy-Action, and Partnerships. Nairobi Convention’s SAPPHIRE project also held its fifth Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting.
Related link
~ Scientists warn that it's make-or-break time for Africa's oceans
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The meeting comprises the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27), the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 17), and the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 4).
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The first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC1) to develop an Internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, will take place in Punta del Este from 28 November to 2 December 2022.
The multi-stakeholder forum is planned to take place for the full day on 26 November, and regional consultations and bureau meeting to be held on 27 November. Following the practice of the ad hoc open-ended expert group (OEWG) meeting held in Dakar from 30 May to 1 June, the INC will be a hybrid meeting.
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UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) - 7 - 19 December , 2022 in Montreal, Canada
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‘Cooperate or perish’: At COP27 UN chief calls for Climate Solidarity Pact, urges tax on oil companies to finance loss and damage
At the opening of the two-day Climate Implementation Summit at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, António Guterres called for a historic pact between developed and developing countries to combine capacities, and pivot the world towards reducing carbon emissions, transforming energy systems and avoiding a climate catastrophe. Read More>>
Other related links
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LDCF and partners announce $16.5 million for Pacific ocean and coastal health
The Global Environment Facility on 8th November joined with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) at COP27 to announce grants of $16.5 million for the Blue Pacific Finance Hub, which aims to build ocean and coastal resilience in countries threatened by the impacts of climate change. The GEF's Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) is providing $10 million and ADB $2.5 million, with NDF also providing a proposed commitment of $4 million. Read More>>
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As impacts accelerate, adapting to climate change must become a global priority – UNEP report
As climate impacts intensify across the globe, nations must dramatically increase funding and implementation of actions designed to help vulnerable nations and communities adapt to the climate storm, according to a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report. Released ahead of COP27 – the latest round of climate talks taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – The Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow – Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk, finds that global efforts in adaptation planning, financing and implementation are not keeping pace with the growing risks. Read More>>
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LATEST COASTAL & MARINE NEWS
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The global fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing reaches a new milestone
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How Carbon Emissions Acidify Our Ocean and How IAEA Helps in Understanding Its Effects
Ocean acidification is a consequence of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas driving climate change. The ocean absorbs around one third of all human induced CO2, causing a change in seawater chemistry called ocean acidification. It presents a serious threat to marine life, ecosystem health and people whose livelihoods depend on the ocean. To facilitate this research, as well as to encourage collaboration, coordination and communication regarding international activities on ocean acidification, the IAEA has established the............Read More>>
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IAEA Team to Observe Sampling of Seawater, Marine Sediment and Fish near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts will visit Japan next week to observe the collection and treatment of marine samples from the sea near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The mission aims to verify the quality of sample collection procedures and analytical methods used by Japanese laboratories performing marine environmental radioactivity monitoring.. Read More >>
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UNESCO finds that some iconic World Heritage glaciers will disappear by 2050
New UNESCO data highlight the accelerated melting of glaciers in World Heritage sites, with glaciers in a third of sites set to disappear by 2050. But it is still possible to save the other two thirds, if the rise in global temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial period. This will be a major challenge for COP27.. Read More>>
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Panama joins GloFouling Partnerships to tackle aquatic invasive species introduced by ships’ biofouling
The GloFouling Partnerships project has expanded its outreach by welcoming Panama as one of its beneficiary countries from the Central and South America region. The Project brings together countries and key partners to respond to a global environmental problem, namely the introduction of Invasive Aquatic Species via ships’ biofouling. Read More>>
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Djibouti: a mobilisation of local and regional actors for healthy coral reefs
A multidisciplinary mission conducted by the Swiss-led initiative the Transnational Red Sea Center (TRSC) in September 2022 reports coral reefs of the Gulf of Tadjoura in excellent health despite extremely high seawater temperatures. Read More>>
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The Twinning at the MedPAN Management Effectiveness Workshop
On October 27th and 28th, at the occasion of the MedPAN MPA Management Effectiveness Workshop, the Twinning presented the EU-funded Ocean Governance Project, Marine Mammal Twinning across two separate events. The first was within the context of MPA networks and the second presentation delivered during a workshop hosted by the Resilience Twinning..Read More>>
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The Marine Management Toolkit at the 7th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles
On 18th October 2022, the Twinning hosted a workshop focusing on the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit and its respective adaptation to marine turtles at the occasion of the 7th Mediterranean Conference on marine Turtles, Tetouan (Morocco), highlighting the toolkit as a key tool for MPA managers, and its value for managing marine turtles within the Mediterranean. Read More>>
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Chile launches “smart buoys” to protect migrating whales
The Ministry of the Environment of Chile, in partnership with the MERI Foundation, has deployed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered monitoring buoy in the Gulf of Corcovado (Chile), as part of the Blue BOAT Initiative (Buoy Oceanographic Alert Technology) in an effort to protect whales from ship collision. Read More>>
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Coral genetics workshop in Costa Rica for reef restoration
A regional workshop supporting the countries of the Wider Caribbean Region in establishing and strengthening best practices for the management of ships’ ballast water and sediments has taken place in Cartagena, Colombia (18-20 October).. Read More>>
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Supporting Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to respond to marine pollution incidents
Building capacity in preparedness for and response to marine pollution incidents was the focus of an in-person subregional workshop on compensation for oil pollution damage held in Tunis, Tunisia (18 to 19 October 2022). Read More>>
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This section outlines the implementation plan to fulfill the normative and facilitative role of the Regional Seas Programme. It includes the targets and supporting activities to achieve the three strategic goals.
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First, the plan outlines 16 RSP targets to assist in achieving the three strategic goals, enabling the coherent delivery of ocean-related aspects of UNEP’s MTS and global goals in the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement, Post-2020 global biodiversity framework and Beyond-2020 framework for sound management of chemicals and waste.
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Second, the targets have been accompanied with RSP-specific indicators.
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Third, the targets have been accompanied with ocean-relevant targets of UNEP’s MTS, PoW, the SDGs and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
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LATEST PUBLICATIONS, STUDIES & RESEARCH ARTICLES
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The UNEP Regional Seas Programme (RSP) is UNEP’s most important regional mechanism for conservation of the marine and coastal environment since its establishment in 1974. The Programme aims to address the accelerating degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through a shared approach, by engaging neighbouring countries in comprehensive and specific actions to protect their shared and connected ocean. It is an action-oriented programme that brings together a broad range of stakeholders including governments, scientific communities, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, private sector and civil societies, to address ocean-related issues. Today, 146 countries participate in 18 Regional Seas programmes, and most of the programmes have adopted a regional action plan underpinned by a legal framework in the form of a regional convention and associated protocols on specific issues. The Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans outline coordinated actions to address specific environmental concerns.
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If you have any news, events, announcements and publications related to coastal and marine issues that you would like to be included in the weekly newsletter, send us an email on: regionalseas@un.org
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