TY - JOUR
AU1 - Corcione,, Elena
AB - (1) Introduction The nineteenth Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans was held in Cape Town, South Africa, on 29 November (United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/WBRS.19). Before the Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans, there was a collaboration meeting entitled ‘Building International Partnership to Enhance Science-Based Ecosystem Approaches in Support of Regional Ocean Governance’ in which several UN agencies took part, such as the Global Environment Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. On 6 July, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 71/312 (Doc. A/RES/71/312), in which it endorsed the declaration entitled Our Ocean, Our Future, adopted by the Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14. The declaration recognizes the importance of oceans for economy and markets and constitutes an important part of natural and cultural heritage—hence, the necessity to address the adverse impact on climate change. The document reiterates the commitment to SDG Goal 14 and further calls for an integrated, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral approach and enhances cooperation to reach such goals. The declaration further calls upon stakeholders to take some specific actions, such as the promotion of an integrated and inter-connected approach to the implementation of Goal 14, strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging with regional and sub-regional bodies and programs, focusing on the importance of marine scientific research, preventing and reducing marine pollution (including waste and plastic management plans), managing fisheries plans, and—more generally—supporting sustainable ocean-based economies. Points of the declaration specifically call for the effective discussion within the preparatory committee for the ‘[d]evelopment of an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,’ with a view to deciding the starting date of an inter-governmental conference (Doc. A/RES/69/292). (2) Baltic Sea During the thirty-eighth meeting of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), held in Helsinki from 28 February to 1 March, Recommendation 38/1 on Sewage Sludge Handling was adopted. The recommendation provides some guidelines for improved sewage sludge handling, aiming at avoiding negative effects on human health and the environment caused by hazardous substances while maximizing use of valuable substances and energy potential. In June, HELCOM published the first version of the report State of the Baltic Sea, which was prepared between 2015 and 2017 and refers to the period 2011–15. A finalized version will be published in 2018. The report provides an overview of the current status of the Baltic Sea and the regional cooperation initiatives in place. Specific focus is put on aspects such as the status of ecosystems, environmental pressures, and human well-being. The report shows how the goals of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, Krakow, Poland on 15 November 2007) are not yet met, while the effects of other measures are to be seen in the long term. The report is currently under review by regional consultation in order to receive feedback from international and inter-governmental organizations. (3) Mediterranean Sea The Initiative for the Sustainable Development of the Blue Economy in the Western Mediterranean was launched by the European Commission in April 2017 (Doc. COM(2017) 183 final, 19 April 2017). The initiative stems from the necessity for cooperation among neighbouring countries to: (i) increase safety and security in the Mediterranean; (ii) promote sustainable blue growth and jobs; and (iii) preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, as a follow-up on the Ministerial Declaration on Blue Economy of the Union for Mediterranean on 17 November 2015. As for the increase of safety and security, particular emphasis is put on enhancing the cooperation between coastguards and improving data sharing and capacity to respond to marine pollution from accidents. As for the creation of a smart and resilient blue economy, partnerships between research and industry are particularly encouraged as well as the development of maritime clusters, the development of maritime training and education, and the promotion of the sustainability of production and consumption for greener mobility, tourism, and aquaculture. The third goal aims at a better governance of the sea that includes the implementation of EC Directive 2008/56 Establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Marine Environmental Policy and the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, as well as through data sharing, conservation of biodiversity and habitat, and the promotion of sustainable fisheries and coastal community development and through the implementation of the mid-term strategy (2017–20) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. The political coordination of the initiative will be provided through the Union for the Mediterranean, while operational coordination will be guaranteed by a task force and national focal points. Within the Union for the Mediterranean, a Ministerial Declaration of the Water Agenda was adopted in April to enhance regional cooperation towards sustainable and integrated water management in the region, with the aim to support the final goals of SDG 6 on water (Doc. N. 09/17, 20 April 2017). Among key regional policies to be implemented, there is the development of a circular economy and green growth, and meeting the obligations of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, as well as the objectives of the UNEP Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, the Union for the Mediterranean Water Agenda will assist in tackling the challenges of migration and improving access to safe drinking water, expressly recognized as a fundamental human right. Finally, the declaration calls for engagement in new partnerships with the private sector to better implement the Water Agenda. On 4 May, the Ministers of Research and Innovation of the Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Union (EU) adopted the Valletta Declaration on Strengthening Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation through Research and Innovation. The declaration stresses, among other issues, the importance of the BlueMed Initiative and Euro–Mediterranean cooperation in maritime sector as tools to improve and implement the objectives of creating blue jobs and social well-being, bearing in mind the importance of sustainable development and preservation of the environment (point 10). Several resolutions were furthermore adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the FAO, especially related to a strategy for the sustainable development of Mediterranean and Black Sea aquaculture (Doc. GFCM/41/2017/1), the establishment of a fisheries restricted area in the Adriatic Sea (Doc. GFCM/41/2017/3), and on a regional plan of action to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (Doc. GFCM/41/2017/7). (4) East Asian Seas The Partnership in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia and the R20 Regions of Climate Action announced a new partnership on 4 April. The R20 Regions of Climate Action is a non-profit organization gathering together a number of regions, the UN, non-governmental organizations, academia, and other actors in order to develop and finance green infrastructure projects. The aim of the partnership is to increase sustainable blue economy investments in coastal areas and spread the use of low-carbon and pollution control technology. On 24–6 July, the ninth East Asian Seas Partnership Council took place in Makati, Philippines. Among several issues, the council reviewed the draft Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia for the period 2017–22, with a view of providing the basis for the implementation and achievement of the UN SDGs in the next years. (5) Northwest Pacific The twenty-second Intergovernmental Meeting of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) took place in Toyama, Japan, on 19–21 December. As an outcome of the meeting the parties adopted five resolutions attached to the meeting report (Doc. UNEP/NOWPAP IG. 22/13). In particular, as recommended in the previous Intergovernmental Meeting, with Resolution 3 the NOWPAP Medium-term Strategy 2018–23 was adopted (Doc. UNEP/NOWPAP IG. 22/10). The strategy focuses on four priority areas, namely: (i) support integrated coastal and river basin management; (ii) assess status of the marine and coastal environment; (iii) prevent and reduce land and sea-based pollution; and (iv) conserve marine and coastal biodiversity. More resolutions were adopted during the meeting. In particular, it is worth recalling Resolution 4, which focused on the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, approving a new work plan for the biennium 2018–19 and encouraging NOWPAP member states to foster prevention, monitoring, and the removal of marine litter through the implementation of the Action Plan. Furthermore, Resolution 5 calls for the development of special projects, including the project proposal on ‘monitoring and assessment methods for microplastics pollution.’ (6) Polar Waters On 1 January, the International Code for Ships operating in Polar Waters (so-called Polar Code) adopted by the International Maritime Organization entered into force. The Polar Code addresses, among other subjects, the protection of the environment and biodiversity of the polar waters, therefore providing for mandatory measures for safety and pollution prevention, further to some recommendations. (A) Arctic At the tenth Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council, which took place in Fairbanks, United States, on 11 May, the ministers of the Arctic states adopted the Fairbanks Declaration. In the declaration, the ministers express concerns for the warming of the Arctic and reiterate the need for a global action towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UN SDGs. In this light, the declaration recognized the need for enhanced cooperation at the regional level to promote the conservation and sustainability in the Arctic marine environment and adopted the report to the Ministers of the Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation (point 12). In the report, the Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation identified some specific needs to strengthen the cooperation in the Arctic and suggested the creation of a new Arctic Council subsidiary body to better meet the identified needs. Furthermore, the declaration addressed the issue of climate change, adopting the first Pan-Arctic report on collective progress to reduce emissions. After the United States, the Arctic Council will be chaired by Finland for the period 2017–19. In December, the EU and partners engaged in Arctic matters ended negotiations on an international agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the Arctic high seas. The draft agreement will lead to the adoption of a regional fisheries management organization for the Central Arctic Ocean. (B) Antarctic The thirty-sixth annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) took place in Hobart, Australia, on 16–27 October. Among other issues, the meeting addressed the development of a research and monitoring plan for the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area (created with a decision made during the last CCAMLR meeting). Furthermore, attention was drawn to the establishment of new special areas for scientific study, especially following the events that occurred in July, when one of the largest icebergs ever recorded broke free from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in West Antarctica. Other topics discussed in the meetings included: the status of CCAMLR-managed fisheries; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the convention Area; assessment and avoidance of incidental mortality of Antarctic marine living resources; and the review and adoption of conservation measures. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)
TI - 1. Regional Seas
JF - Yearbook of International Environmental Law
DO - 10.1093/yiel/yvy037
DA - 2017-01-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/1-regional-seas-TZnqzh30nV
SP - 139
VL - 28
IS - 
DP - DeepDyve
ER -