UN Conference on Oceans vital to reverse decline of oceans: organizers

The high-level United Nations Conference on Oceans slated for June 5-9, 2017 in New York is vital to reverse decline of oceans, officials from Fiji and Sweden said here on Tuesday.

Fiji aims through this conference to put oceans protection at the top of the global agenda, said Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in a press conference on the sidelines of the Marrakech Climate Change Conference.

Co-hosted by the governments of Fiji and Sweden, the conference will seek to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 of conserving and sustainably using oceans, seas and marine resources.

Bainimarama noted that his country is already affected by the degradation of ocean ecosystems, referring to the rise of sea level which threats the country's very existence.

Isabella Lovin, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, said that this first ever UN high-level conference on oceans, which will coincide with World Oceans Day, reflects Sweden's commitment to change the future of oceans into the right direction.

She stressed that considerable work has been done on the regulatory framework, but there is a lack of implementation regarding the regulations, which relies on the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including governments, the UN, other intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and private sectors. Endit