Oceans and Law of the Sea

The United Nations is increasingly concerned about the impact of Syria’s economic downturn.  Food prices there have more than tripled in the past year, a record 9.3 million people are food insecure, and without future support, over 2 million more risk being pushed further into hunger, according to the World Food Programme.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Maritime Day, observed on 24 September:

The in-person plenary meeting of the thirtieth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was held, under strict COVID-19 preventive and risk-mitigation measures, at Headquarters from 24 to 26 August.

In light of the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea decided to postpone the thirtieth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, which was originally scheduled to be held at United Nations Headquarters from 15 to 19 June 2020 pursuant to paragraph 56 of General Assembly resolution 74/19 of 10 December 2019, to a period from 24 to 28 August 2020, subject to the availability of a conference room and conference services.

Wildlife crime threatens both biodiversity and human health, according to a new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.  It finds that many illegally trafficked animals may spread diseases to people, and the pangolin — a possible source of COVID-19 — remains the most trafficked mammal in the world.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of the Seafarer, observed on 25 June:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on World Oceans Day, in New York today:

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, has released $40 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to address health emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including a new Ebola outbreak in the city of Mbandaka, in north-western Équateur province.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Oceans Day, observed on 8 June: