Page 98 - Livre_MOW2022_EN

96 | OCEAN GOVERNANCE

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
Blue route to Lisbon

25 high-level participants took part in a working breakfast whose purpose
was to prepare for the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference and

prioritise ocean issues.

What priorities should be defined for the United Na- DEFINING AN IMPROVED
tions Ocean Conference which is being held in Lisbon FRAMEWORK
from 27 June to 1 July 2022? This new chapter in
global action for the ocean is opening under the aus- Among the priorities of the conference, the participants
pices of innovative science-backed actions, pursuant stressed the need to allocate more funds to SDG 14.
to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14). The However, more than the shortage of funding, what
extension of marine protected areas, the withdrawal came to the fore was the lack of agreements and tan-
of subsidies harmful to fisheries and the fight against gible projects able to receive funding.
climate change and ocean acidification are the key
topics being addressed in the course of a series of Moreover, consensus was reached on the need to
multilateral preparatory meetings prior to the Lisbon make the United Nations Conference more compliant
event. An important milestone in the Decade of action and voluntary commitments more responsible, by
to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development means of appropriate assessment and monitoring, in-
Goals. cluding the assessment of progress. The participants
stressed the need to guarantee a contribution from
Organised by the Oceano Azul Foundation, the Mona- stakeholders and citizens to the Declaration of Lisbon.
co round table, which took place in the morning of 22 Developing a clear roadmap for the restoration of the
March within the stimulating context of Monaco Ocean main marine ecosystems was also discussed.
Week, brought together 25 representatives of institu-
tional partners, as well as scientists and civil society
players to elicit opinions and contributions. In the Turtle
Conference Room at the Oceanographic Museum, Ri- IN
cardo Serrão Santos, Minister of Foreign Affairs ope- FIGURES
ned the session with a recap of all the challenges to
be addressed in view of the calendar of international
ocean negotiations. TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE

■ 170 billion / year would be
necessary to reach the targets
of SDG14,

■ 2,7% of the marine environment is
under high protection in 2022, still
far from the 30% target for 2030.