A central theme of Rio+20 was the important role played by all stakeholders in advancing sustainable development as well as the need for increased partnerships among government, civil society, and industry. In this context, stakeholders were encouraged to formally pledge voluntary commitments and register them on a Rio+20 database.
There are nine initiatives on Oceans and Seas, SIDS. The Global Ocean Forum has spearheaded two of these:
1) Ocean Watch: Assessment and Promotion of Progress in the Implementation of the 1992, 2002, and 2012 Global Commitments on Oceans, Coasts, and Small Island Developing States; and
2) Building Oceans Readiness: Capacity Development for Integrated Ocean Governance).
GOF Voluntary Commitments Leaflet
Ocean Watch: Assessment and Promotion of Progress in the Implementation of the 1992, 2002, and 2012 Global Commitments On Oceans, Coasts, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Partners
Global Ocean Forum (GOF) , United Nations Development Program , Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Ocean Policy Research Foundation, Japan
Commitment
The continued assessment, policy dialogue, and reporting of the progress (or lack thereof) in meeting global commitments related to oceans, coasts, and SIDS will ensure continuous exchange of information, sharing of best practices, and provide the opportunity to develop novel approaches to fill gaps in past commitments, and to address new and emerging challenges. This serves to maintain a high public and political profile, and to mobilize the ocean community to achieve effective implementation of commitments.
This builds on the work undertaken by the GOF and partners, in the report “Oceans at Rio+20: Summary for Decision Makers,” available online.
Website: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=1006&menu=809&nr=289
Building Oceans Readiness: Capacity Development for Integrated Ocean Governance
Partners
Global Ocean Forum (GOF), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, World Ocean Network, Ocean Policy Research Foundation, Japan
Commitment
Capacity development for integrated ocean governance is essential to achieve sustainable development of oceans and coasts including responses to address new challenges, climate change and biodiversity , loss and provide sustainable ocean and coastal livelihoods. Funding is limited and there has been little collaboration and coordination of efforts among the many actors that assist in capacity development.
A global strategy for ocean readiness, mobilizing expertise and partnerships, will be developed to ensure that governments and institutions have the skills, knowledge, and capacity to develop Blue Economy frameworks, and to address challenges on oceans and coastal communities in a long-term, integrated manner.
Website: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=1006&menu=809&nr=288