Headline:
UN Ocean Conference: IASS Experts in New York
Marine conservation takes centre stage at international UN conference on 5-9 June
On 5–9 June, experts on ocean governance and sustainability from around the world will meet at the United Nations’ Ocean Conference in New York. The conference’s aim of advancing the implementation of the global sustainable development goal for the oceans dovetails with a major focus of research at the IASS. Researchers from the Ocean Governance project at the IASS will attend the conference, where they will host three events on ocean sustainability in cooperation with partners from policymaking, academia, and civil society. At a full-day event on efforts to improve cooperation at the regional level, staged in cooperation with the German Federal Government, IASS researchers will present a new report on marine ecosystem conservation and sustainable marine resource management with which they were strongly involved. Earlier this year, the IASS published a policy brief with detailed recommendations for the UN Ocean Conference. These recommendations were communicated to the United Nations in the course of preparations for the conference with the backing of the German Federal Government.
Sustainable development: are growth and marine conservation mutually exclusive?
With its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations has adopted an ambitious agenda for the future of human society through to 2030, ranging from the alleviation of poverty and hunger, to economic growth and sustainable consumption. Goal 14 is dedicated to the protection of the oceans and the sustainable use of marine resources. But how do efforts to protect the oceans interact with activities aimed at achieving other development goals? What trade-offs and synergies are there? These issues will be addressed in a panel discussion organised by the International Council for Science (ICSU) in cooperation with IASS experts on ocean governance and other partners.
Day/Time 5 June 2017 9.00 – 10.30 a.m. (EST)
Venue: Conference Room B, United Nations Headquarters
Online: Interconnections Among the SDGs as a Force Multiplier for Implementation Of SDG14
IASS experts on location: Stefanie Schmidt and Sebastian Unger
Background information with figures and case studies from around the world: ICSU – A Guide to SDG Interactions: from Science to Implementation (from p. 176)
Regional Cooperation for Sustainable Oceans
Oceans do not recognise borders. Cooperation among coastal states is crucial to ensuring that ocean regions are protected and their resources managed sustainably. The role of regional governance in delivering on the Sustainable Development Goal for the Oceans (SDG 14) will be explored in this full-day event organised by the IASS in cooperation with the governments of Germany and Sweden, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), and TMG – Think Tank for Sustainability. The event will explore policy options to advance the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal for the Oceans and its related targets. Confirmed speakers include the Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog (Sweden), UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim, State Secretary for the Environment Gunther Adler (Germany), and Klaus Töpfer, the former Federal Minister of the Environment (Germany) and founding director of the IASS. At the event, researchers from the IASS, IDDRI, and TMG will present a new study – “Partnering for a Sustainable Ocean - The Role of Regional Ocean Governance in Implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14” – which was prepared with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation through the Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG). The study analyses the opportunities for and challenges to international cooperation in the implementation of the sustainable development goals at the regional level.
Day/Time 6 June 2017 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (EST)
Venue: Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in New York
Online: Oceans in the 2030 Agenda: The Role of Regional Governance
IASS experts on location: Sebastian Unger and Carole Durussel
Sharing Knowledge: Good Examples of Integrated Ocean Management
What factors contribute to the success of marine conservation initiatives? What best practice examples are there? This event organised by the IASS in cooperation with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other partners will provide a forum for the sharing of knowledge and brings together practitioners and representatives from marine conservation organisations with experts on environmental science and sustainability to discuss case studies and potential solutions. A particular focus will lie on ocean acidification, which is destroying coral reefs and other forms of marine life and undermining the economic foundations and coastal infrastructure of many small island states. An IASS Policy Brief on capacity development for sustainable ocean management will form the basis of this discussion.
Day/Time 7 June 2017 9.00 – 10.30 a.m. (EST)
Venue: Conference Room B, United Nations Headquarters
IASS expert on location: Sebastian Unger