2022: strategic dates for a year dedicated to the Ocean
15 January 2022
Will 2022 be the year of the mobilization of the international community for the defense of the Ocean and its biodiversity? That is what we hope.
As an observer member of the United Nations Environment Program, The SeaCleaners is committed to bring the voice of the oceans to the major meetings that could lead to commitments on a global scale.
Decades of the United Nations dedicated to the protection of the Ocean, IPCC report, IUCN World Congress, COP26… In 2021, scientists have not stopped sounding the alarm on the worrying state of our Ocean. In 2022, it is time to act and make decisions on a global scale.
Major events are scheduled for 2022, each with the aim of advancing the international community in making common commitments.
As an observer member of the United Nations Environment Program and a member of several international alliances and working groups, The SeaCleaners is committed to ensuring that the voice of the oceans is heard at these important events.
One Ocean Summit and the High Seas Treaty
Announced by Emmanuel Macron during the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the One Ocean Summit will bring together Heads of State and international leaders to define a common strategy for the High Seas legislation. The High Seas, where nearly 60% of the ocean’s surface is not governed by any international legal framework… The biodiversity that inhabits it is therefore left prey to economic exploitation. Plastic pollution will not be absent from the debates.
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, ambassador of the poles, recalls the strategic role of France in this subject of governance: “As the world’s second maritime power, France must take a lead on these issues.
The finalization of this treaty should take place in March, during the inter-governmental conference “Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” from March 7 to 18.
UNEP General Assembly
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) General Assembly will gather in Nairobi, Kenya. It will be the occasion to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the program, but especially to set measures for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and their biodiversity.
Indeed, it is during this assembly that the negotiations for the Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution will be launched. The SeaCleaners is closely following the progress of this agreement as a member of the Task Force.
This meeting will be held between February 28 and March 2.
Oceans Fortnight at the Dubai World Expo
From March 18 to 31, 2022, before closing its doors, the Dubai World Expo will dedicate its last fortnight of event programming to the oceans. The SeaCleaners will present the Manta during a conference on the French Pavilion to demonstrate how the association’s strategy for the conservation of marine ecosystems fits in with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiated by the UN
Our Ocean Palau
Reaching 30% of marine protected areas. This is the ambition of the “Our Ocean” conference organized by the Republic of Palau, this archipelago of more than 500 islands, located in Micronesia, with the support of the United States, on 13 and 14 April 2022.
The COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity
After having its agenda disrupted 2 years in a row, the 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity will finally take place from April 25 to May 8, 2022 in Kunming, China.
This COP15 on biodiversity is important because it must finalize a major international agreement aimed at “living in harmony with nature” by 2050, with intermediate objectives for 2030.
The ambition of this agreement is to adopt a motion to preserve 80% of the Amazon forest and to support agricultural practices that are less harmful to life.
Stockholm+50
On June 2 and 3, 50 years after the creation of the UN Environment, the UN General Assembly will convene the Stockholm+50 Summit. On the agenda: the creation of an Earth Council, an Institute on Oceans and Climate.
UN Ocean Conference
World leaders will then meet in Lisbon from June 27 to July 1 for the United Nations Conference for the Protection of the Oceans, to make strong commitments in the conservation and sustainable management of ocean resources.
COP27
After COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, one of the African countries most immediately affected by global warming.
In addition to this schedule, The SeaCleaners is also expecting the release of two IPCC reports in February and March. These will deal respectively with:
- The vulnerability of human societies, ecosystems and socio-economic systems to climate drift, the consequences of climate change, and adaptation options
- Mitigation (emission reduction) of climate change, assessment of methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
What progress will be made in 2022 to protect the oceans, which are both one of the main regulators of the climate and the victim of global warming? More than ever, pressure from associations and citizens is needed to encourage world leaders to ratify strong commitments.