H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly
Page 11
Keynote Address
H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson,
President of the General Assembly for the 71 st Session
Session 12:
Review of implementation SDG 14
Thursday, 13 July 2017, 11:00-13:00, Conference Room 4
Ambassador Skoog of Sweden,
Ambassador Daunivalu of Fiji,
Under-Secretary-General Wu,
Under-Secretary-General Soares,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
I welcome the occasion of addressing the High Level Political Forum for
Sustainable Development on the subject of the implementation of Sustainable
Development Goal 14, the Ocean goal. Before saying anything further on the
subject, I would like to pay tribute to the governments of Sweden and Fiji for
the steadfast, generous and meaningful way in which they hosted The Ocean
Conference held here at the UN last month. That tribute extends to the
conference's two key authorities: Under-Secretary-General Wu and Undersecretary-
General Soares. As we say in Fijian "Vinaka vaka levu". And as we
say in Swedish "tack sa mycket".
As you are aware, the inclusion of SDG 14 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was a r20ecognition of humanity's existential relationship with
the Ocean. It was also a recognition that the Ocean's health was in trouble, as
reflected in declining fish stocks, coastal degradation, marine pollution and
phenomena such as Ocean acidification and Ocean warming.
In its 70th session, the General Assembly
mandated The Ocean Conference to support the implementation of SDG 14. The
mandate sought to build partnership within the global Ocean community to
ensure success in achieving the targets of SDG 14.
Page 12
The Ocean Conference presented us with the best possible opportunity to
dramatically raise global consciousness on the Ocean's problems, to provide a
universal push for solutions to these problems, and to forge a global movement
that would be capable of taking us to success in the implementation of SDG 14
by the time of its maturation in the year 2030.
Measured against these objectives, The Ocean Conference proved to be a major
success.
Above all, the conference showed that we are all in this together; that when it
comes to the Ocean, there is no "them and us"; we all sink or swim as one.
Although it is still too early to tell, many believe that The Ocean Conference
will prove to be the time when the tide turned on humanity's relationship with
the Ocean, when wilful indifference turned in favour of a relationship of balance
and respect.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
In terms of practical outcomes, the conference has provided us with a massive
work plan going forward. The "Call for Action" outcome document carefully
put together by Member States, under the facilitation of the Permanent
Representatives of Portugal and Singapore, explicitly calls for urgent and
decisive action. I am pleased to report that last week the General Assembly
consensually endorsed the "Call for Action" declaration.
Critically, the conference's seven partnership dialogues produced a
comprehensive range of solutions to the identified problems facing the Ocean as
presented by global authorities in the relevant fields.
And of course, nearly 1400 Voluntary Commitments were gathered from the
private and public sectors from around the world in support of SDG14's 10
targets.
Page 13
These outcomes have all been captured and are currently being analysed and
modelled for implementation in fidelity to the targets of SDG 14.
As we turn our attention to the next phase of SDG 14 implementation, the
immense scale of the challenges we are facing should not be forgotten. To
exemplify that scale, think for example of the challenge of Ocean acidification
or of rising sea levels.
Our first task must be to implement the work plan that has come out of The
Ocean Conference. Through the Register of Voluntary Commitments and
findings of the conference's partnership dialogues, we will organise ourselves to
do just that.
Secondly, we must not lose that central lesson of The Ocean Conference,
namely that we are all in this together. The sense of collective responsibility and
of shared ownership of remedial action, must be maintained.
The Ocean is the common heritage of humankind, we all share the responsibility
of restoring its health.
The scientific community, the creative community, the private sector, civil
society, governments, multilateral agencies and more came together to make
The Ocean Conference the success it was.
So the communality of the Ocean action interest groups must be nurtured and
embraced as we find innovative ways to implement SDG 14' s targets.
And we should never overlook the linkages between SDG 14 and broader SDG
implementation.
The integrated nature of the SDG's is one of the founding principles of the 2030
Agenda. I do not have time to do so in this address, but there are many ways that
the outcomes of The Ocean Conference impact positively on SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5,
and 9, all of which are being reviewed at the HLPF this year.
Page 14
The last point I would like to emphasise is that the political momentum for
Ocean action that emerged from the conference cannot be allowed to dissipate.
We have all laboured hard to build the giant wave of commitment on which the
conference rode. SDG14 has targets that mature in 2020, 2025 and 2030. We do
not have the luxury of time.
It is thus that the offer by both Kenya and Portugal to host a second UN Ocean
Conference in 2020 is so fundamental. Three of SDG 14' s targets mature in
2020, making it the obvious next milestone for accountability, assessment and
adjustment.
Notably, COP26 at which progress on Paris Agreement implementation will
move front and centre occurs in 2020. This will allow us further opportunity to
strengthen the all-important links between Ocean action and Climate action.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thanks to The Ocean Conference, I firmly believe we have begun to reverse the
cycle of decline that accumulated human activity has brought upon the Ocean.
These are early days, but the science conveyed to us during the conference
shows we have no time to lose. The work of the HLPF and our deliberations
today are thus critical to accelerating our work on SDG 14.
As I have said time and again throughout the 71 st session, in the implementation
of the SDG' s we carry a promise to our grandchildren that we will restore our
relationship with this planet to one that puts sustainability at its centre. Thereby,
we will cease to steal from their future.
SDG 14' s universality requires us all to work towards the conservation and
sustainable utilisation of Ocean's resources. Let us make that so. Let all ofus,
from whatever walk of life we come, turn our will, our energy and our resources
to achieving the noble aims of SDG 14.
I thank you for your attention.
Keynote Address
H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson,
President of the General Assembly for the 71 st Session
Session 12:
Review of implementation SDG 14
Thursday, 13 July 2017, 11:00-13:00, Conference Room 4
Ambassador Skoog of Sweden,
Ambassador Daunivalu of Fiji,
Under-Secretary-General Wu,
Under-Secretary-General Soares,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
I welcome the occasion of addressing the High Level Political Forum for
Sustainable Development on the subject of the implementation of Sustainable
Development Goal 14, the Ocean goal. Before saying anything further on the
subject, I would like to pay tribute to the governments of Sweden and Fiji for
the steadfast, generous and meaningful way in which they hosted The Ocean
Conference held here at the UN last month. That tribute extends to the
conference's two key authorities: Under-Secretary-General Wu and Undersecretary-
General Soares. As we say in Fijian "Vinaka vaka levu". And as we
say in Swedish "tack sa mycket".
As you are aware, the inclusion of SDG 14 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was a r20ecognition of humanity's existential relationship with
the Ocean. It was also a recognition that the Ocean's health was in trouble, as
reflected in declining fish stocks, coastal degradation, marine pollution and
phenomena such as Ocean acidification and Ocean warming.
In its 70th session, the General Assembly
mandated The Ocean Conference to support the implementation of SDG 14. The
mandate sought to build partnership within the global Ocean community to
ensure success in achieving the targets of SDG 14.
Page 12
The Ocean Conference presented us with the best possible opportunity to
dramatically raise global consciousness on the Ocean's problems, to provide a
universal push for solutions to these problems, and to forge a global movement
that would be capable of taking us to success in the implementation of SDG 14
by the time of its maturation in the year 2030.
Measured against these objectives, The Ocean Conference proved to be a major
success.
Above all, the conference showed that we are all in this together; that when it
comes to the Ocean, there is no "them and us"; we all sink or swim as one.
Although it is still too early to tell, many believe that The Ocean Conference
will prove to be the time when the tide turned on humanity's relationship with
the Ocean, when wilful indifference turned in favour of a relationship of balance
and respect.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
In terms of practical outcomes, the conference has provided us with a massive
work plan going forward. The "Call for Action" outcome document carefully
put together by Member States, under the facilitation of the Permanent
Representatives of Portugal and Singapore, explicitly calls for urgent and
decisive action. I am pleased to report that last week the General Assembly
consensually endorsed the "Call for Action" declaration.
Critically, the conference's seven partnership dialogues produced a
comprehensive range of solutions to the identified problems facing the Ocean as
presented by global authorities in the relevant fields.
And of course, nearly 1400 Voluntary Commitments were gathered from the
private and public sectors from around the world in support of SDG14's 10
targets.
Page 13
These outcomes have all been captured and are currently being analysed and
modelled for implementation in fidelity to the targets of SDG 14.
As we turn our attention to the next phase of SDG 14 implementation, the
immense scale of the challenges we are facing should not be forgotten. To
exemplify that scale, think for example of the challenge of Ocean acidification
or of rising sea levels.
Our first task must be to implement the work plan that has come out of The
Ocean Conference. Through the Register of Voluntary Commitments and
findings of the conference's partnership dialogues, we will organise ourselves to
do just that.
Secondly, we must not lose that central lesson of The Ocean Conference,
namely that we are all in this together. The sense of collective responsibility and
of shared ownership of remedial action, must be maintained.
The Ocean is the common heritage of humankind, we all share the responsibility
of restoring its health.
The scientific community, the creative community, the private sector, civil
society, governments, multilateral agencies and more came together to make
The Ocean Conference the success it was.
So the communality of the Ocean action interest groups must be nurtured and
embraced as we find innovative ways to implement SDG 14' s targets.
And we should never overlook the linkages between SDG 14 and broader SDG
implementation.
The integrated nature of the SDG's is one of the founding principles of the 2030
Agenda. I do not have time to do so in this address, but there are many ways that
the outcomes of The Ocean Conference impact positively on SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5,
and 9, all of which are being reviewed at the HLPF this year.
Page 14
The last point I would like to emphasise is that the political momentum for
Ocean action that emerged from the conference cannot be allowed to dissipate.
We have all laboured hard to build the giant wave of commitment on which the
conference rode. SDG14 has targets that mature in 2020, 2025 and 2030. We do
not have the luxury of time.
It is thus that the offer by both Kenya and Portugal to host a second UN Ocean
Conference in 2020 is so fundamental. Three of SDG 14' s targets mature in
2020, making it the obvious next milestone for accountability, assessment and
adjustment.
Notably, COP26 at which progress on Paris Agreement implementation will
move front and centre occurs in 2020. This will allow us further opportunity to
strengthen the all-important links between Ocean action and Climate action.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thanks to The Ocean Conference, I firmly believe we have begun to reverse the
cycle of decline that accumulated human activity has brought upon the Ocean.
These are early days, but the science conveyed to us during the conference
shows we have no time to lose. The work of the HLPF and our deliberations
today are thus critical to accelerating our work on SDG 14.
As I have said time and again throughout the 71 st session, in the implementation
of the SDG' s we carry a promise to our grandchildren that we will restore our
relationship with this planet to one that puts sustainability at its centre. Thereby,
we will cease to steal from their future.
SDG 14' s universality requires us all to work towards the conservation and
sustainable utilisation of Ocean's resources. Let us make that so. Let all ofus,
from whatever walk of life we come, turn our will, our energy and our resources
to achieving the noble aims of SDG 14.
I thank you for your attention.