SIXTH MEETING OF UNITED NATIONS OPEN-ENDED INFORMAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS

ON OCEANS AND LAW OF SEA TO TAKE PLACE AT HEADQUARTERS, 6 - 10 JUNE

To Focus on Fisheries, Their Contribution to Sustainable Development, Marine Debris

NEW YORK, 3 June (UN Office of Legal Affairs) -- The sixth meeting of the United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea will take place at United Nations Headquarters from 6 to 10 June.  At this meeting, the Consultative Process will focus on “fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development” and “marine debris”.

The Consultative Process was established by the General Assembly in 1999 (resolution 54/33) to facilitate its annual review of developments in oceans and the law of the sea.  The Consultative Process was reviewed at the Assembly’s fifty-seventh session, where it was noted that it had contributed to strengthening the Assembly’s annual debate on oceans and the law of the sea.  By resolution 57/141 of 12 December 2002, the General Assembly decided to continue the Consultative Process for an additional three years.  The General Assembly will review again the effectiveness and utility of the Consultative Process at its sixtieth session.

The sixth meeting of the Consultative Process will base its discussions on the report of the Secretary-General on oceans and the law of the sea (document A/60/63).  In addition to matters related to fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development and marine debris, the report contains information on declarations and statements made by States under articles 287, 298 and 310 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; provides an overview of State practice with regard to maritime space and elaborates on developments in the institutions established by the Convention.  It further provides information on capacity-building; recent developments relating to international shipping activities; maritime security and crimes at sea; the marine environment, marine resources and sustainable development; and the Indian Ocean tsunami.  It also addresses the establishment of UN-Oceans, a mechanism for cooperation and coordination among the secretariats of international organizations, funds and programmes, as well as the specialized agencies of the United Nations system and secretariats of relevant international conventions.

The format and provisional annotated agenda for the sixth meeting (document A/AC.259/L.6) is proposed by the co-chairpersons of the Consultative Process, Ambassador Felipe H. Paolillo (Uruguay) and Philip D. Burgess (Australia) following consultations with delegations and an informal preparatory meeting held at Headquarters on 16 March 2005.  In this connection, it should be noted that Ambassador Paolillo, by letter dated 8 March 2005, informed the President of the General Assembly that he had been assigned new duties and, thus, would not be able to continue as co-chair of the sixth meeting of the Consultative Process.  Following the appropriate consultations with Member States, Ambassador Cristián Maquieira (Chile) was appointed by the President of the General Assembly as co-chairperson of the Consultative Process for its sixth meeting.

Other documents that will be before the sixth meeting are a submission by Costa Rica transmitting a paper entitled “The bottom line:  an investigation of the economic, cultural and social costs of industrial longline fishing in the Pacific and the benefits of sustainable use of marine protected areas” (document A/AC.259/13); a submission by Pakistan providing its input on the two areas of focus (document A/AC.259/15) and a submission by the United Nations Environment Programme presenting an overview of activities of UNEP related to addressing the problem of marine litter (document A/AC.259/14).

The two areas of focus:  fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development and marine debris will be discussed in two discussion panels.  During the plenary sessions, the meeting will have an opportunity to have a general exchange of views on areas of concern and actions needed, including on issues discussed at previous meetings, and to discuss cooperation and coordination on ocean issues.  The meeting will receive a report on actions taken in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami on Thursday afternoon.

Fisheries and Their Contribution to Sustainable Development

Fisheries, including aquaculture, play an important economic role and contribute to sustainable development in many countries, as they are capable of providing current generations with access to food, employment, recreation and trade without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  However, for the fisheries sector to contribute to sustainable development, it must itself be managed in a sustainable way.

The chapter in the report of the Secretary-General devoted to the topic of fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development, covers such issues as the role of fisheries in sustainable development, for example, the contribution of fisheries to poverty alleviation, food security and world trade; the legal and policy framework enhancing the contribution of fisheries to sustainable development, including actions to increase the value of small-scale fisheries; factors limiting the contribution of fisheries to sustainable development (such as overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, unsustainable fishing practices, governance and policy issues, and environmental issues linked to aquaculture); and capacity-building activities of international organizations promoting sustainable fisheries.

At the sixth meeting, several panellists will launch the discussions on fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development through presentations on the assessment of the state of the world’s fisheries; reports on the outcome of recent fisheries meetings; presentations relating to commercial/large-scale fishing and on artisanal/small-scale fishing and presentations providing a scientific and civil society perspective.  In addition, the co-chairpersons have suggested some possible issues for discussion and elaboration which are listed in Annex III to the format and provisional annotated agenda.

Marine Debris

Marine debris, also referred to as marine litter, is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment.  Marine debris may be found near the source of input, but can also be transported over long distances by ocean currents and winds.  As a result, marine debris is found in all sea areas of the world -- not only in densely populated regions, but also in remote places far away from any obvious sources.

The report of the Secretary-General provides information on the main land-based and sea-based sources of marine debris, including fisheries activities; their effects; measures to prevent and reduce marine debris (for example, waste management, legal instruments, reception facilities and raising awareness); and measures to deal with existing marine debris.  Inadequate waste management and deficiencies in the implementation and enforcement of existing international, regional and national regulations and standards that could improve the situation, combined with a lack of awareness among main stakeholders and the general public, are the major reasons why the marine debris problem not only persists, but appears to be increasing worldwide.

Several panellists will launch the discussions on marine debris at the sixth meeting through presentations providing an intergovernmental and non-governmental perspective and information on approaches taken in some countries.  In addition, the co-chairpersons have suggested some possible issues for discussion and elaboration which are listed in Annex III to the format and provisional annotated agenda.

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