Following a week of discussions and events in Lisbon, the UN Ocean Conference concluded with governments and Heads of State agreeing on a new political declaration to Save Our Ocean.
Recognising the past “collective failure” in the conference’s final declaration, the world leaders called for greater ambition to ensure that the dire state of the ocean is addressed, and admitted to being “deeply alarmed by the global emergency facing the ocean”.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Miguel de Serpa Soares commended co-hosts – Portugal and Kenya – for the conference’s enormous success.
“[The Conference] has given us the opportunity to unpack critical issues and generate new ideas. It also made clear the work that remains, and the need to scale up that work for the recovery of our ocean”, Soares said, adding that it is essential to now turn the tide.
More than 6,000 participants, including 24 Heads of State and Government, and over 2,000 representatives of civil society attended the conference, advocating for urgent and concrete actions to tackle the ocean crisis.
Recognising a “collective failure to achieve ocean-related targets” so far, the leaders renewed their commitment to take urgent action and to cooperate at all levels, to fully achieve targets as soon as possible.
Among the challenges the ocean faces are coastal erosion, rising sea levels, warmer and more acidic waters, marine pollution, overexploitation of fish stocks and decrease of marine biodiversity.
Acknowledging that climate change is “one of the greatest challenges of our time”, and the need to “act decisively and urgently to improve the health, productivity, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean and its ecosystems”, top politicians gathered in Lisbon stressed that science-based and innovative actions, along with international cooperation, are essential.
Reaffirming that the ocean is fundamental to life on our planet and to our future, the signatories emphasised the particular importance of implementing the Paris Agreement of 2015, and last November’s Glasgow Climate Pact to help ensure the health, productivity, sustainable use, and resilience of the ocean.
The Protecting Our Planet Challenge will invest at least $1 billion to support creation, expansion, and management of marine protected areas by the year 2030.
The European Investment Bank will extend an additional EUR 150 million across the Caribbean Region as part of the Clean Oceans Initiative to improve climate resilience, water management and solid waste management.
