Philippines Reaffirms Commitment to Protect the Oceans
Athens, 19 April 2024 - The Philippines, as a responsible member of the international community and a significant maritime nation, with vast expanses of ocean surrounding the archipelago, reaffirmed its commitment to the aspirations of the Our Ocean Conference to protect the seas and oceans, including towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development."
At the 9th Our Ocean Conference (OOC9) held on 15-17 April 2024 in Athens, Greece, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Ernesto D. Adobo, Jr. announced the Philippine government’s four (4) new voluntary commitments with a total worth of around 165.56 million USD that will contribute significantly to a healthier and more sustainable ocean.
These voluntary commitments include: (1) implementation of the Philippines’ commitment to the 30x30 target, which aligns with Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aiming to protect 30% of the national waters by 2028; (2) the Great Blue Wall Initiative, which establishes a nationwide Marine Protected Area Network (MPAN); (3) an Ocean Science Research Program that will establish seven (7) new marine research stations and enhance two existing ones; and (4) the Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project, which will further enhance sustainable fisheries management.
At the “High Ambition and Partnerships for the High Seas”, an event at the sidelines of the OOC9, H.E. Giovanni E. Palec, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Greece, highlighted that the Philippines’ has signed, and has been expediting work towards the early ratification, entry into force, and effective implementation of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction or the BBNJ Agreement. Ambassador Palec also took the opportunity to express again the deepest appreciation of the Philippines to the High Seas Alliance and other government and civil society partners for assisting in the successful conduct of the Regional Capacity Building Workshop on the BBNJ Agreement last November 2023 in Manila. Around 115 participants from the Southeast Asia region gained a deeper understanding of the BBNJ Agreement, which is particularly significant considering the pocket of High Seas and the Area in the region beyond national jurisdictions. The Philippines is confident that the entry into force and effective implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, which reaffirms the primacy of UNCLOS as the constitution of the ocean, would bolster the rules-based international order, and advance the shared responsibility of all as stewards of the oceans.
Launched in 2014, the Our Ocean Conference is an overarching forum for dialogue that brings together governments, intergovernmental organizations, academia, the private sector, and NGOs that share a common vision for the protection of the oceans and take action to support this vision.
The main areas of action of the Our Ocean conference series are: (1) Marine Protected Areas, (2) Sustainable Blue Economies, (3) Climate Change, (4) Maritime Security, (5) Sustainable Fisheries, and (6) Marine Pollution. This Conference focused on (1) Sustainable tourism in coastal areas and islands, (2) Reduction of marine plastic and microplastic pollution, (3) green shipping, and (4) green transition in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece, the host of this year’s conference, reported that government and non-government participants announced more than 400 commitments worth more than 10 billion USD towards the protection of our ocean. END
