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Activities of the Legal Counsel of the United Nations

Side Event

The International (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

25 September 2017


On 25 September 2017, the United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Serpa Soares, participated in the side event “The International (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”, jointly organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Maldives to the United Nations.

Taking place on the margins of the informal consultations on the draft General Assembly resolution on oceans and the law of the sea, the side event offered an opportunity to provide information on the proposal of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to establish, under the auspices of the United Nations, the period 2021-2030 as the International Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

In his remarks, the United Nations Legal Counsel highlighted the importance of ocean science for sustainable development and for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In particular, he noted, the Convention provides the enabling legal framework for the conduct of marine scientific research and for the development and transfer of marine technology. Marine science, on the other hand, is an essential underpinning of the implementation of the Convention and the achievement of its objectives. The United Nations Legal Counsel further highlighted the ways in which an International Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development would contribute to the implementation of the Convention and to the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects.

The side event also featured remarks by H.E. Mr. Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Environment and Energy of the Maldives, Mr. Jo Høvik, Special Advisor on the Oceans, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and expert presentations by Mr. Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America and Mr. Ariel Hernán Troisi of the Servicio de Hidrografía Naval of Argentina.

Link to the IOC page

Mr. Serpa Soares delivered his statement on behalf of the members of UN-Oceans
Mr. Serpa Soares, participates in the side event “The International (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”