From 25 – 28 October 2022, the Cartagena Convention Secretariat participated in the Third meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies. Participants comprised representatives of regional seas organizations (RSOs), regional fishery bodies (RFBs), other global and regional organizations and initiatives, national governments and non-governmental organizations. The event was held in Busan, Republic of Korea under the theme “Forging a new era of regional leadership in the post-2020 world”.
The meeting focused on specific timely issues of relevance, including other effective area-based conservation measures, as well as issues related to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), and an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, all of which are presently still under development in their respective processes and not yet finalized. The meeting also considered these issues in the context of the four thematic areas of focus of the SOI Global Dialogue: (i) ecosystem approach/ecosystem-based management, (ii) area-based management tools, (iii) reducing and mitigating the impacts of pollution, and (iv) monitoring, assessment and information-sharing.
Focus on the Wider Caribbean
During the initial panel discussion, panelists reported from the different regions, providing updates on cross-sectoral cooperation at the regional scale. For the Wider Caribbean Region, a joint presentation was given by the group comprised of the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat, Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (FAO- WECAFC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) Interim Coordination Mechanism Secretariat, and the Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano (OSPESCA). The presentation highlighted the CLME+ Strategic Action Programme, a 10-year programme for the sustainable management of shared living marine resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems covering more than 20 countries and multiple overseas territories. The common areas of interest under the SAP, and among the aforementioned regional organisations, include a strengthened regional ocean governance framework through collaboration on pollution prevention, preservation of marine biodiversity and blue economy, and specific regional issues such as sargassum, invasive species and ocean acidification. Some of the regional challenges that were highlighted related to differing mandates, geographical scopes, and competition, whilst opportunities were identified for improving cooperation with the maritime sector and for more integrated responses.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the region to jointly develop concrete actions and milestones towards roadmaps for implementing the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The regional group for the Wider Caribbean agreed that the long-term CLME+ vision of a “healthy marine environment that supports the well-being and the livelihoods of the people of the region” should be supported by:
- targeting common areas of focus, such as sargassum proliferation, ocean acidification, invasive species, and disaster risk reduction;
- addressing root causes of weak governance by strengthening institutional cooperation and improving financing and technical capacity; and
- operationalizing the Ocean Coordination Mechanism in the region, and, through this tool, adopting a common blueprint for the regional data and information landscape.
The meeting was convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, with the organization support of the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK). Financial support was provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea (through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries), the Government of Japan (through the Japan Biodiversity Fund), and the Government of France (through the French Biodiversity Agency).
