THE UN OCEAN CONFERENCE 2022.

The United Nations Oceans Conference 2022 (UNOC) took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from June 27 to July 1. One of the most important events for marine conservation and therefore also for shark conservation. More than 5,000 politicians, scientists and NGO representatives from all over the world gathered there and we from the SHARKPROJECT were also on site. Especially after the break caused by Corona, the personal exchange and discourse is all the more important. We met partner organizations, made new contacts, spoke to government representatives and took part in numerous events.

Tina Reiterer, team member of SHARKPROJECT International Cooperation, will take you with her and tell you what we experienced on site, what was discussed and decided and which points are unfortunately still open. So come along.

The events before the event

Even before the UNOC started, there were numerous events and rallies. Many organizations used the opportunity to arrive early to coordinate and prepare for the conference in advance. Joint activities such as a beach clean-up organized by SIA Portugal also took place.

One of the biggest events was certainly the “Youth and Innovation Forum” which took place in the three days before the UNOC. (https://www.soalliance.org/2022-ocean-youth-and-innovation-forum) This forum is all the more important as it gives the young generation a voice and provides a platform to address decision-makers worldwide. It was therefore all the more important that this format was supported by personalities such as Jason Momoa, the well-known Hollywood actor. He was then appointed “Advocate for Life Below Water” within the framework of the UNOC.

Finally things get started.

The UNOC officially starts with an important statement. But not from the major countries. Instead, the Pacific island states of Palau and Fiji set the tone for the rest of the conference with a bang on the first day. They are calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. They demand that the ISA (International Seabed Authority) should not issue any permits for deep-sea mining for the time being. The destruction of the almost completely unexplored deep-sea ecosystem and the associated violations of human rights by the mining industry must be prevented. The ISA and the industry have yet to respond, but the initiative will receive further support during the course of the event. During the course of the conference, French President Macron, for example, will call for very strong and strict regulation of deep-sea mining and for greater protection and exploration of the deep sea. Not a moratorium, but perhaps an important step in the right direction. The next few months will show.

We have also been working hard. Together with our partner organization Shark Eductional Institute (SEI) Portugal, we attended an Escola Azul event. This is the community of “Blue Schools” and actively involves their school community in understanding the impact of the ocean on us and our impact on the ocean. The local community is integrated into their activities and works together with the partners of the Blue School network. During the event, children drew sharks and took part in a shark quiz to raise awareness of the importance of sharks in our oceans.

Events, discussions, demonstrations

As turbulent as the conference started, so turbulent did it continue. In various side events, the various NGOs, scientists and, in some cases, government representatives jointly attempted to draw attention to the dangers to the oceans. Here are just a few of the events we took part in and contributed to.

RISE UP – Event: around 500 organizations and foundations have united under this name and are committed to common priorities and goals, seeking solutions, advancing marine conservation and raising the ambition to act. As part of this grouping, SHARKPROJECT also took part in the joint intervention, calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and more transparency and monitoring of fishing activities, among other things. The event – which was hosted by Seas at Risk – was also attended by Dr. Sylvia Earle and Peter Thomson (UN Special Envoy for the Oceans).

Another action that we as SHARKPROJECT did not want to miss was the BLUE MARCH FOR THE OCEANS. The aim of this demonstration through Lisbon was to draw attention to the importance of marine protection and to show how important it is in terms of climate protection. Of course, deep-sea mining was also a major topic. As part of the demonstration, we even had the opportunity to speak out for the protection of the ocean and sharks in particular in an interview with Reuters.

The panel discussion “Can Shark Fishing be sustainable in 2022” was also very exciting. We helped with the organization and were able to introduce the Fly Without Fins campaign to the audience after the discussion and also draw their attention to a list of shark actions in which everyone can participate from home and thus make a contribution to shark protection, e.g: Sign petitions (More protection for the leopard shark in Thailand). The panel discussion was part of an all-day event organized by Sea Shepherd, Blue Marine Foundation, Gallifrey Foundation and Mission Blue. With guests such as Dr. Sylvia Earle from Mission Blue, Alex Cornelissen from Sea Shepherd Global and Matt Gianni from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, the event was very high-caliber.

The entire conference was accompanied by many other small and large shark activities at the UN site. The shark activists who attracted the attention of the delegations and the media in shark costumes certainly deserve special mention here. One highlight of this campaign was certainly that even Dr. Sylvia Earle took part, put on a shark costume and stood up for the sharks.

But what are the results?

As NGOs and scientists, we naturally have to ask ourselves this question after having supported the UNOC with such great commitment. And unfortunately, in view of the global crisis and the alarming state of the oceans, we have to draw a rather negative conclusion.

Although encouraging initiatives and successful individual regional projects were presented in Lisbon by several countries, which deal intensively with the acute problem areas of deep-sea mining, overfishing, illegal fishing, plastic waste and underwater noise. In the official final documents of the conference itself, however, there is once again no trace of binding measures or legal obligations for the international community. This situation was already criticized by many organizations worldwide shortly after the UNOC (see, among other things, “States shirk responsibility at UN Ocean Conference”).

And so the only thing left for us to do is to refer to a quote from the closing speech of the UN conference:

Accordingly, together with NGOs and scientists worldwide, we will measure the United Nations and the governments of its member states by their actions and continue to exert pressure for rapid change.
Do you have further questions about the UNOC or the individual topics?

Then contact Tina Reiterer and the International Cooperation team directly.