Page 12 - IB AUG 2017

Oceans
The world pledges to save our home

by Samisoni Pareti

READING through the world’s pledges
for the protection of our oceans dur-
ing the first-ever Oceans Conference
that Fiji and Sweden co-chaired at the
United Nations headquarters in New
York in June, one could easily be lulled
into thinking that our oceans have been
saved finally.
Members of the UN by the end of the
five-day meeting had made a total of 1372
commitments towards ocean protection
and marine conservation, keeping in line
with the UN Sustainable Development
Goal 14, to conserve and sustainably use
the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development.
These commitments are purely volun-
tary and not legally binding.
Even the Call to Action declaration
released as the conference’s outcome
document could only “call on stakehold-
ers” to remember their voluntary pledges
and see to their implementations “on an
urgent basis.”
The Dominican Republic has the largest Top left: Fijian women do a
number of voluntary pledges about the traditional dance at the opening. Left:
ocean at 43. A traditional Fijian war dance.
Above: Bainimarama joins UN
Fiji as co-host submitted 16. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Its bigger neighbours of Australia and during a traditional Fijian ceremony
New Zealand put up 20 and 22 commit- to open the Oceans Conference in
New York. Seated below is senior
ments respectively on saving the ocean UN staff Sai Navote, who acted as
and its resources. Conservation measures Guterres’ herald.
directed at the South Pacific Ocean totalled Photos: SPREP.
313.
The North Atlantic Ocean had the most, lagoons of World War Two wrecks. Fel- its Bootless Bay, some 20km southeast of
some 449 voluntary commitments. low Micronesian state Nauru is keen to its capital Port Moresby a marine protected
Protection of marine species such as rid itself of plastic pollution and embark area.
sharks, sting rays, turtles, whales, dol- on major beach clean ups while Palau is The Solomon Islands, to PNG’s immedi-
phins and spawning groupers were among recommitting itself to its plans to ban com- ate eastern sea borders submitted a total of
the voluntary pledges that Fiji submitted. mercial fishing on 80 per cent of its EEZ. 5 voluntary pledges at the UN Conference
It also announced nationwide plans to Their bigger neighbour Papua New on oceans.
reduce the use of plastic bags, and put in Guinea submitted a few of its voluntary It included a framework on commu-
place a strategy to protect its coastlines commitments on ocean conservation al- nity based resource management and the
from storm surges and land loss. These though Prime Minister Peter O’Neil was finalisation of its maritime boundaries.
commitments however fell short of a busy campaigning in the country’s general There was also some plans to review
declaration to completely ban the use of elections and could not attend the Oceans its ocean pollution laws and strengthen
plastics. Prime Minister Rear-Admiral Conference. measures against illegal, unreported and
Frank Bainimarama’s government also They wanted to keep FADs, fishing unregulated (IUU) fishing for the its lucra-
shied away from a community led initia- aggregate devices, out of a part of their tive tuna fishery.
tive that sought to declare all of its coastal waters that is called Morgado Square. Vanuatu on the other hand told the
fishing grounds marine protected areas. This PNG says is a very important stock UN conference in New York that it has
Kiribati in the northern Pacific offered to recruitment ground and grow-out area for approached the International Atomic
establish a sanctuary for sharks while its tropical tuna species for the Western Pacific Energy Agency (IAEA) to address ocean
western neighbour, the Federated States Ocean. They also wanted to formulate a acidification in the Pacific island nation.
of Micronesia is committed to clearing its national policy on oceans as well as declare This Geneva-based world body will also

12 Islands Business, August 2017