In progress at UNHQ

HE/915

110 GOVERNMENTS ADOPT AMBITIOUS GLOBAL PROGRAMME TO TACKLE MARINE DEGRADATION

8 November 1995


Press Release
HE/915


110 GOVERNMENTS ADOPT AMBITIOUS GLOBAL PROGRAMME TO TACKLE MARINE DEGRADATION

19951108 Land-Based Activities Conference Stresses Action On Persistent Organic Pollutants and Waste Water

WASHINGTON, D.C., 3 November (UNEP) -- The international community today took a major step towards enhancing the health and economic well-being of the more than 3.5 billion people that live at or near coastal areas by unanimously adopting a detailed Programme of Action aimed at preventing the further degradation of the global marine environment.

The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities is the culmination of 13 years of efforts by the international community, coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in close cooperation with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The Programme is designed to assist States in taking practical actions to maintain and improve the productive capacity of the marine environment, to ensure the protection of human health and to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

With nearly 80 per cent of all marine pollution being caused by various human activities on land, the Global Programme of Action not only identifies the problems and ecosystems under particular threat, but also recommends specific practical action at national, regional and international levels to redress it. Since so many people world-wide are dependent on the marine environment for their very survival, the Programme recognizes that the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources is best assured by encouraging sustainable human activities in coastal areas, and vice versa.

The Programme was adopted at the conclusion of a two-week intergovernmental Conference, organized by UNEP and hosted by the United States Government at its State Department headquarters. The Conference, which brought together representatives of 110 governments, was convened in response to the recommendation made at the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in its Agenda 21, the global programme for achieving sustainable development.

"The finalization of the Programme of Action is a major accomplishment for the international community", said Makram Gerges, head of the Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme of UNEP. "However, for it to be more than just another document, governments will need to show serious political commitment to implement it. Judging by the spirit and business-like fashion which participants displayed over the past two weeks, I am confident that this will be the case."

The Global Programme of Action is divided into five sections -- an introduction, actions to be taken at the national, regional and international levels, and recommended approaches by category of contaminant or form of degradation. Under actions to be taken at the international level, governments called for specific global measures in two priority areas -- the development of a global, legally binding instrument on persistent organic pollutants and plans to deal with the inadequate treatment of waste water or sewage.

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of particularly toxic man-made organic compounds that resist degradation, become more concentrated the higher they are located in the food chain, are prone to long-range distribution and have the potential to cause adverse environmental and human health effects at locations near and far from their source. The UNEP and its partners in the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals have initiated a scientific assessment process on 12 specific pollutants -- the "dirty dozen". The Programme places particular attention on the needs of developing countries as this process evolves.

The Programme also calls upon UNEP's Executive Director, with the assistance of other United Nations programmes and agencies, to prepare a proposal that would address the global nature of the problem of inadequate management and treatment of waste water via pipelines, including direct waste water discharges from coastal and up-stream communities and cities.

Under the section on international actions to be taken, the Programme decided that UNEP should handle the secretariat functions and to specifically promote its implementation in close partnership with United Nations agencies, multilateral financial institutions, regional development banks, industry and non-governmental organizations.

In the introduction section, the need to address the effects of land-based activities on the marine environment is outlined, the aims of the Programme of Action are laid out and the interlinkages with Agenda 21, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international environmental conventions are described.

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The second part of the Programme characterizes the principles and commitments needed to develop comprehensive actions at the national level. The development of pragmatic and integrated coastal area management plans involves identifying and assessing the following: the problem areas, such as sewage, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, physical alterations and destruction of habitats, among others; the ecosystems of concern, including watersheds, coral reefs, wetlands and small islands; and the sources of contaminants and other forms of degradation. National plans should also establish priorities for action, management objectives and criteria to evaluate effectiveness, taking into account the interests of all stakeholders -- local authorities, non-governmental organizations, women and other major groups.

Under the Programme, regional and subregional cooperation is crucial, particularly where a number of countries have coasts in the same marine area, most notably in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas. States should participate more actively in existing regional seas and international conventions and programmes of action; and implement new joint comprehensive regional and subregional programmes. Multilateral financial institutions are encouraged to participate in the financing. States should also establish or strengthen regional networks as sources of information and technical capacity building. Consideration should be also given to the harmonization of environmental and control standards on the regional level.

At the global level there is need for regular reviews of the state of the world's marine and freshwater environments. The objective is to strengthen existing international cooperation and institutional mechanisms and establish new arrangements to support States and regional groups. The mobilization of resources and information, expertise and the strengthening of institutional and human capacities will enhance long-term effective implementation.

The Programme calls for the development of a clearing-house mechanism through which decision makers would be provided with up-to-date information, practical experience and scientific and technical expertise. It would involve a data directory, information delivery mechanisms and the necessary infrastructure to be coordinated by UNEP.

The mobilization of resources should be in parallel to the mobilization of information, experience and expertise, emphasizing the role of national and regional programmes. Financing for the implementation of the Programme of Action will generally come from a country's own public and private sectors, but for countries in special need of assistance, substantial new and additional funding will be required. Management programmes must be designed, therefore, with consideration for the full range of funding possibilities. Assistance from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is also seen as

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important especially in areas concerned with international waters and biodiversity.

An annex to the Programme of Action gives a list of internal and external funding sources and mechanisms. The basic source of revenue is from those who benefit from a service, from those who impose burdens on the environment, local and national taxes and private sector borrowing. Possible external financing could include international commercial banks, export credit agencies, grant and concessional assistance, multilateral loans, multilateral equity funds, debt-for-environment swaps and eco-conversion programmes, foundation grants and twinning arrangements.

The final section provides guidance as to the needed actions by category of contaminant or form of degradation that States should consider at all levels in accordance with their national capacities, priorities and resources.

The Conference began on Monday, 23 October, with statements by UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell, and by the Conference Chairperson, Eileen Claussen, Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Senior Director for Global Environmental Affairs of the United States National Security Council. Discussions and drafting of revised text took place in two working groups which met through Monday, 30 October.

A high-level segment involving several ministers took place during the next two days with expert presentations on institutional follow-up, the mobilization of resources, persistent organic pollutants and sewage and waste water. On Wednesday, 1 November, the Vice-President of the United States, Al Gore, made a special address to the Conference. On that day, the Washington Declaration was adopted as a symbol of intention at the highest political level to protect and preserve the marine environment for present and future generations.

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For information media. Not an official record.