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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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Ellie Goulding dives into Red Sea in a call to protect world's coral reefs
Singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding dived into the Red Sea during the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27) to witness first-hand the resilience of the coral reefs in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. As a UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Global Goodwill Ambassador, Goulding has urged world leaders and policymakers to take action to save the world’s coral reefs, which support at least 25 per cent of marine species and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
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Statement by Director General of SACEP at UNFCCC COP27
Dr Md Masumur Rahman, Director General of South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme has delivered his statement in the High-Level Segment of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on 16 November 2022. He mentioned that as a pioneer organisation, SACEP will remain committed to continue to work with its member states who remain steadfast on their obligations under Paris Agreement.
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Australia Committed To Empowering An Effective Pacific Islands Region In The Climate Change Negotiations.
The Government of Australia and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme will work in partnership to enhance the engagement of Pacific Islands in the climate change negotiations. “The Australian Government is pleased to provide this support to the Pacific family to strengthen capacity to engage in international processes, critical to the fight against climate change,” said Australia's Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy. Australia and the Pacific are also preparing to bid to co-host the Thirty-First Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP31) in 2026.
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World Toilet Day: Making Visible the Linkage between Groundwater and the Marine Ecosystems
This year’s World Toilet Day slogan “Making the Invisible Visible” poses an invitation to reflect upon the impact of sanitation on groundwater, and ultimately the linkage between groundwater and marine ecosystems. You may wonder if pollution of groundwater is relevant to the sea, especially when we consider that groundwater moves slowly to the coasts. While land-based sources of marine pollution have been more widely studied, relatively little is known about the interaction between submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and nearshore marine ecosystems. Some studies point out that SGD is a significant source of nutrients to the sea that can be beneficial for activities such as aquaculture[1].
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Your Mediterranean city could be the next winner of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award
The call for application for the fourth edition of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award (2022-2023) is open until 30 April 2023. The Award was established by virtue of Decision IG.22/19 of COP 19 of the Barcelona Convention, with the aim of recognizing efforts of local authorities in promoting sustainable development in Mediterranean coastal cities. It is one of the flagship initiatives of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD 2016-2025). Cities located along the Mediterranean coast are invited to apply...
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The side event at COP27 on 'The prospect and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework as a driver of climate ambition'
South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) in coordination with Wageningen University, Netherland, Griha Council (TERI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and University of Cape Town organized a Side-event on Tuesday, 15 Nov 2022 during the UNFCCC,Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt under the theme 'The prospects and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework as a driver of climate ambition '. This side-event distinguished itself by bringing together perspectives from academia and practice from on three different continents. It aimed to deepen the understanding of the prospects and challenges of the Enhanced Transparency Framework and was attended by actors involved in global climate transparency including Parties, observers, students, academics, practitioners, and other interested actors both novices and experts in the field of climate transparency.
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Capacity Building In Drone Mapping For Samoa
Advancement in mapping technology skills is an asset for any organization in the field of Geospatial Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). Drone mapping is an example of GIS technology for gathering data. It captures quality real-time ground information for spatial analysis to support our efforts to protect, conserve and safeguard our pristine, fragile environment.The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the Environmental Monitoring and Governance (EMG) programme conducted a two-day Drone Training...
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InforMEA:
1) About InforMEA - InforMEA is the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements. It is a one-stop portal for information on Multilateral Environmental Agreements – or MEAs - searchable by key terms across treaty texts, COP decisions, national plans and reports, laws, court decisions and more. - See the InforMEA flyer here for a concise overview of InforMEA -Introduction to InforMEA video and - For more information on InforMEA, visit the about page
2) InforMEA e-learning platform - The updated e-learning platform now offers over 40 courses introducing International Environmental Law and Governance issues, MEAs, cross cutting topics like pollution, and most recently also specific SDGs. The platform accommodates 6 UN languages, with many courses available in several. Each course has been reviewed by one or several MEAs or collaborating partners, including UNITAR. Register for an InforMEA account
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Join the webinar on the Global Partnership on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution (GPML), to learn about the Partnership, its five Action Tracks, the Digital Platform and opportunities for engagement.
The webinar is relevant to the launch of the web platform of the East Asian Seas Regional Node of the GPML, which is linked to the Global Digital Platform and was presented to the Twenty-fifth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 25) of COBSEA in October.
Register : 11AM-12PM East Africa Time/GMT+3
Register: 5-6PM East Africa Time/GMT+3
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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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The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27)
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COP27 Reaches Breakthrough Agreement on New “Loss and Damage” Fund for Vulnerable Countries
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed today with a breakthrough agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. “This outcome moves us forward,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss and damage – deliberating over how we address the impacts on communities whose lives and livelihoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change.”. Read More>>
Other related links
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LATEST COASTAL & MARINE NEWS
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World Fisheries Day: FAO and the Vatican urge social protection for fishers
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Vatican and the Catholic maritime charity, Stella Maris, today marked World Fisheries Day with a call for greater social protection for small-scale fishers and fish workers. As the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) draws to a close, FAO, the Holy See and Stella Maris held a high-level event entitled “Investing in social protection to secure equitable Blue Transformation in the fisheries sector,” at FAO’s headquarters in Rome. Read More>>
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Arctic carbon conveyor belt discovered
Researchers find new transport route for carbonaceous material from productive Arctic marginal seas to the deep sea. Every year, the cross-shelf transport of carbon-rich particles from the Barents and Kara Seas could bind up to 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 in the Arctic deep sea for millennia. Read More>>
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Solomon Islands: 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Pacific nation
No injuries or deaths have been reported yet, but people in the capital Honiara reported significant shaking and tremors for around 20 seconds. Amid immediate warnings of a tsunami, the prime minister's office advised locals to move to higher ground. Read More>>
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Highest Coral Cover in Central, Northern Great Barrier Reef Since Monitoring Began 36 Years Ago
This year the northern and central Great Barrier Reef have recorded their highest amount of coral cover since the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) began monitoring 36 years ago. Published recently, AIMS’ Annual Summary Report on Coral Reef Condition for 2021/22 shows another year of increased coral cover across much of the Reef. Read More>>
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IUCN leads development of a new manual for the management of invasive alien species in the EU, incorporating animal welfare
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Will shipping noise nudge Africa’s only penguin toward extinction?
Seabird ranger Eduard Drost was busy with a routine inspection in an African penguin colony off the South African coast in 2021 when he noticed a troubling number of sickly birds.“Some were emaciated, especially the chicks,” he recalls. “Their chest and hip bones were sticking out. Their bellies were flat, not rounded.” Read More>>
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2022 Champions of the Earth award to honour ecosystem restoration efforts around the world
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) received close to 2,200 nominations for its annual Champions of the Earth award in 2022, a new record. The UN’s highest environmental honour recognizes individuals and organizations from a number of fields, including civil society, academia and the private sector, that are blazing a trail in their efforts to protect our natural world.. Read More>>
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Supporting Madagascar to prevent garbage pollution from ships
Preventing pollution by garbage from ships requires effective implementation and enforcement of MARPOL Annex V regulations and the provision of port reception facilities. A workshop in Toamasina, Madagascar (14-16 November) aimed to support government officials and relevant stakeholders to increase national capacity to implement MARPOL obligations and address marine litter.. Read More>>
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Working towards Suriname’s National Maritime Transport Policy
Suriname is the latest country to benefit from IMO's work promoting good governance practice in the maritime sector to support sustainable development. A National Workshop on Maritime Transport Policy took place in Paramaribo, Suriname (15-17 November). The workshop provided some 30 participants from public and private sector entities...Read More>>
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New Training Manual for Marine Turtle Conservation
The Network of Marine Protected Areas of West Africa (RAMPAO) has developed in collaboration with the Association Chelonee, the “Training manual for the conservation of marine turtles in West Africa”. The manual, inspired by conservation success stories and indigenous knowledge, aimed at MPA managers and conservation stakeholder, fills important gaps in marine turtle conservation, which were previously identified by the members of the RAMPAO network.. Read More>>
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Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) is the first private company to join the Ocean Decade’s Corporate Data Group
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) announced that Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), a private-sector company specialising in the manufacture and installation of trans-oceanic telecommunications cables, has joined the Corporate Data Group of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the first company to do so. Read More>>
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News from CITES CoP19: Parties Take Historic Vote to Protect Requiem Sharks and Hammerheads
CITES CoP19 Parties voted in committee, 88 yes to 29 no to 17 abstain to list requiem sharks; and listed hammerhead sharks by consensus on CITES Appendix II. This Appendix II proposal would bring the majority of the shark fin trade under CITES Appendix II regulation, which helps ensure that trade is sustainable and legal.Said Luke Warwick, Director of Wildlife Conservation Society Shark and Ray Conservation:“This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES. Now, finally, the deeply unsustainable shark fin trade will be fully regulated. Read More>>
Related links
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Canada rejects Arctic mine expansion project after years of fierce protest
Canada has rejected a mine expansion project in the Arctic after years of uncertainty and fierce protest, in what community members and campaigners say is a win for the vulnerable marine ecosystem and wildlife. Read More>>
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US EPA Collaborates with Mexico’s PEMEX to Reduce Methane Emissions
Canadian fishery officers participating in a multinational maritime surveillance mission have uncovered a number of violations on the high seas of the North Pacific, including incidents of shark fishing. Dubbed Operation North Pacific Guard, the annual international law enforcement operation also included law enforcement officials from the United States, South Korea, and Japan. 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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