In September 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, the leaders of the world agreed to an ambitious agenda to achieve sustainable development of oceans, coasts, and small island developing states, with specific targets and timetables for action. This was in response to alarming trends regarding depletion of ocean resources (in fisheries, marine mammals, coral reefs, and other resources), and in the socio-economic condition of coastal communities, especially in the coastal megacities of the developing world, where poverty remains largely unabated and adverse public health conditions predominate.

The WSSD targets and timetables for achieving sustainable development of oceans, coasts, and islands are not "self-implementing." Instead, governments around the world will need much assistance and support from all parts of the oceans, coasts, and islands community--nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector--to focus resources and know-how in actual implementation of these commitments, to insure that "on-the-ground" improvements in the health and condition of marine ecosystems and in the well-being of coastal communities are actually achieved. The Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Mobilizing for Implementation of the Commitments Made at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held at UNESCO in Paris on November 12-14, 2003, aims to catalyze useful strategies for achieving implementation of the global oceans agenda. There will be opportunities for informal group meetings, workshops, and site events on November 10th and 11th, 2003. The conference will bring together ocean leaders from governments, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to:

• review what has been done so far in WSSD implementation
• develop strategies bringing together all sectors in mobilizing resources and know-how to implement the WSSD commitments and remaining commitments from Agenda 21
• focus on the special issues of the 43 Small Island Developing States which control a large part of the world's oceans, particularly in relation to the review of progress achieved since the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
• discuss emerging ocean, coasts, and islands issues for which international consensus is still to be reached, such as protection of biological diversity on the high seas
• develop strategies for mobilizing private sector involvement and increased public awareness on oceans, coasts, and islands, to insure continued support for the global oceans agenda

The conference builds on the 2001 Global Conference on Oceans and Coasts at Rio+10, also held at UNESCO, in Paris, on December 3-7, 2001. The 2001 Conference provided essential information to decision makers in the WSSD process helping to mold the outcomes of the World Summit. (See major outputs of the 2001 Global Conference).

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Background

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002, brought together 21,340 participants from 191 governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, industry, and academia, including many heads of state and other high level officials.

Oceans, coasts, and islands were not initially on the WSSD agenda, which emphasized issues concerning water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity. However, thanks to the mobilization of interested governments, nongovernmental organizations, and UN agencies early in the WSSD preparatory process, advances in oceans, coasts, and islands represent one of the most important outcomes of the World Summit.

Government delegates negotiated and agreed on an action plan for oceans, coasts, and islands, with quite specific targets and timetables for action-see summary in Table 1. Major examples include applying the ecosystem approach to marine areas by 2010 and establishing networks of marine protected areas by 2012. Important targets were also established on issues related to small island developing states (e.g., developing community-based initiatives in sustainable tourism by 2004); on fisheries issues (e.g., managing fishery capacity by 2005 and controlling illegal fishing by 2004), and in other ocean-related areas as well. The targets and timetables found in the WSSD Plan of Implementation represent an important advance because they have enshrined, as global imperatives by the world's political leaders, many of the goals previously posited by expert groups and specialized agencies. There is now a global consensus reached at the highest political levels that there is an urgent need to take specific action to achieve sustainable development of oceans, coasts, and of small island developing States.

The WSSD targets and timetables, however, are not "self-implementing." Instead, governments around the world will need much assistance and support from all parts of the oceans, coasts, and islands community-to operationalize what needs to be done, to mobilize the requisite knowledge and financial resources, and to maintain the high-level political support essential to achieve the sorely needed "on-the-ground" improvements in the health and condition of marine ecosystems and in the well-being of coastal communities.

Purposes of the Global Conference

The major purposes of the Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands are to review what has been done to date in implementing the WSSD commitments, and to catalyze action on WSSD implementation through collaboration among governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The conference focuses, as well, on approaches to mobilizing public and private sector support for the global oceans agenda, and on the identification of emerging ocean issues.

More specifically, the Conference aims to:

1. Focus on useful strategies for and experiences in implementing the commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development at global, regional, and national levels, through discussions among experts from governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. For each of the major areas of oceans, coasts, and islands where WSSD targets have been set, the conference will:
1. Invite reports by governments, nongovernmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations on progress and challenges in implementation of the WSSD Plan of Implementation;
2. Discuss the contribution of partnership initiatives, including the identification of gaps in knowledge/resources/political will needed for implementation of the WSSD targets;
3. Analyze, in particular, the needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), especially in relation to the forthcoming global review of progress achieved in SIDS countries since the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action, to be held in Mauritius in August 2004.
2. To discuss emerging issues on oceans, coasts, and islands that are not yet being addressed.
3. To develop strategies for mobilizing private sector involvement and increased public awareness on oceans, coasts, and islands, to insure continued support for the global oceans agenda.

Conference Outputs

The following conference outputs are planned:

1. Co-Chairs report of the Conference, containing: 1) perspectives on WSSD implementation-progress achieved so far, initiatives in progress, obstacles faced, promising strategies for achieving action in the medium term, and 2) summaries of the papers and commentaries presented at the conference.
2. A volume on Ministerial Perspectives on the Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, incorporating the presentations of the high-level participants.
3. Several special issues of the international journal Ocean & Coastal Management.

Conference at a Glance 

Conference Flyer 

CONFERENCE STRUCTURE

The Conference will run over a three-day period (Wednesday, November 12 through Friday, November 14, 2003) with opportunities for informal group meetings, workshops, and side events on November 10 and 11, 2003.

Most of the conference is organized as plenary sessions with the exception of the afternoon of November 13 when there will be concurrent discussion group sessions.

Participants from governments, NGOs, IOs, and the private sector are invited to provide written informal reports on progress and challenges faced in activities related to WSSD implementation. These reports should be sent to the conference organizers (johnston@udel.edu) no later than October 1, 2003.

Lead paper presenters and roundtable discussants are invited to address the following aspects of WSSD implementation (Summaries of lead papers and of roundtable participants' perspectives are also invited by October 1, 2003) (See Instructions for the preparation of papers on this website).

• Commentary and analysis of the WSSD targets and timetables
• Analysis of possible strategies for achieving the objectives of the WSSD Plan of Implementation
• Initial progress in implementation and progress in partnership initiatives
• Problems and obstacles faced
• Identification of gaps in targets and partnership initiatives; and
• Capacity building and political mobilization issues.

More specifically, lead papers and roundtable participants are asked to address the following:

• Operationalizing the WSSD commitment/target. What will the commitment/target take in terms of knowledge resources, financial resources, and political will? If accomplished, what would the result be "on the ground"? (for example., what would "representative networks of marine protected areas" look like?)
• What will it take to implement the commitment/target? i.e., what is the path to implementation? e.g., National-level action? International action? Subnational action? Action by private sector?
• What is the role of international agencies/NGOs/Governments in assisting/catalyzing implementation?
• To what extent is the specific target already on the agenda of various groups, and how might these efforts be synergized?
• Is it best to approach the issue/target regionally? In what regions? Through pilot or demonstration projects? What about issues of scaling up?
• Which group/countries/agencies have the knowledge resources needed for achieving this target? Which have the financial resources?
• Which groups/countries/agencies might be/are taking leading roles? How to further encourage/catalyze this?
• Are the financial resources already pledged for the WSSD commitments/targets, including in the Type II initiatives, adequate to mobilize implementation of the target?

CONFERENCE DATES, VENUE, AND ACCOMODATIONS

Dates and Venue

The conference will be held on November 12-14, 2003, with opportunities for side events and meetings on July 10-11. The conference will be held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and is hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), UNESCO.

Directions to IOC/UNESCO 

Accommodations

List of hotels that are 1) within walking distance to UNESCO; 2) close to Etoile - Arc de Triomphe; and 3) close to Quartier Latin/Odeon/Seine/Pantheon.

List of hotels 

REGISTRATION

Registration for the conference is now closed, and will be available only at the conference itself, November 10 - 14, 2003.

POSTERS AND EXHIBITS

Participants will have space to exhibit posters and distribute documentation in the conference area. Please contact Julian Barbiere (j.barbiere@unesco.org) or Sonia Guiraud (S.Guiraud@unesco.org), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (Tel.: 33-1-45-68-40-45; Fax: 33-1-45-68-58-12) at the earliest convenience.

PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS, MEETINGS, AND WORKSHOPS

Participants are invited to organize side events and meetings on Monday and Tuesday, November 10 and 11, 2003. Please note that a number of such events are already scheduled and that space is limited. Please contact Julian Barbiere (j.barbiere@unesco.org) or Sonia Guiraud (S.Guiraud@unesco.org), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (Tel.: 33-1-45-68-40-45; Fax: 33-1-45-68-58-12) at the earliest convenience.

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS AND SPONSORS

Conference Organizers

The Global Conference is organized by the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, comprised of individuals from governments, intergovernmental and international organizations (IOs), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), with the common goals of advancing the interest of oceans- incorporating 72% of the Earth; coasts-the home of 50% of the world's population, and islands-43 of the world's nations are small island developing states, which are especially dependent on the oceans. The Forum was created at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002 by the WSSD Informal Coordinating Group on Oceans, Coasts and Islands.

Conference Co-chairs

The Conference Co-Chairs are the Co-Chairs of the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands: Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain, Director, Center for the Study of Marine Policy, University of Delaware; Dr. Patricio Bernal, Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO; and Dr. Veerle Vandeweerd, Director, UNEP/GPA, The Hague.

Conference Sponsors 

FOR MORE INFORMATOIN

For information regarding the conference program, please contact Stefano Belfiore and Catherine Johnston, Center for the Study of Marine Policy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716 USA, telephone: 1-302-831-8086; fax: 1-302-831-3668; email: sbelf@udel.edu, johnston@udel.edu. For details about local facilities at UNESCO, exhibits, side events, etc., please contact Julian Barbiere (j.barbiere@unesco.org) or Sonia Guiraud (S.Guiraud@unesco.org), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (Tel.: 33-1-45-68-40-45; Fax: 33-1-45-68-58-12).