UN Conference: keeping the momentum for Ocean action
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The Mirpuri Foundation was one of the key participants of the United Nations Ocean Conference “Keeping the Momentum for Ocean Action: Youth Participation and Engagement”.
The webinar, a joint-effort from UN DESA, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY), the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN NGLS), the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY), and Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), mobilized around 300 representatives from all over the world, shared information and collected ideas on how to keep the momentum towards Ocean Action. It was also a way to start engaging youth and stakeholders to the 2020 UN Ocean Conference.
The online event counted with United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thompson, as keynote speaker. “We have the responsibility to maintain the momentum”, he said, addressing the audience, “we have to respect the ocean, so that future generations don’t have to face a destroyed ocean”.
Other keynote speakers were Ambassador Francisco Durante Lopes (Permanent Representative of Portugal to the UN) and Ambassador Lazarus O. Amayo (Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN), as Portugal and Kenya remain committed as co-hosts of the next UN Ocean Conference, taking place in Lisbon. A youth forum is set to happen the weekend before this conference, date yet t be confirmed.
The speakers slot was followed by youth stakeholders’ interventions. This session, called “Mobilizing Youth towards Ocean Action: Forward looking perspectives”, covered subjects as the SDG14 implementation, considering the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as strategies to engage youth. It counted on youth representatives from across the globe, as well as Rob Tardiff from Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and Luke Mullen, actor, filmmaker and environmentalist.
Afterwards the webinar hosted an interactive session, providing an open dialogue on ocean protection.
Leading up to the 2020 UN Ocean Conference, this webinar intended to work with partners, mobilize stakeholders and bring new ideas. Under the overarching theme “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions”, the UN Ocean Conference will involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together Governments, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, other interested international bodies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations.
