A STRATEGY FOR THE OCEAN INTO COP23 – TOWARDS AN OCEAN INCLUSIVE UNFCCC PROCESS

A COP23 Presidency ocean initiative, the Ocean Pathway embodies the important relationship between the Ocean and Climate Change. The Pathway:

• Affirms the Call for Action from the UN Ocean Conference,

• Flags the possibility of a UNFCCC agenda item and a work programme by 2019 and ensures the insertion of the ocean into NDCs,

• Enhances the opportunity to support ocean health and maintain critical ocean ecosystems from current and emerging climate change funding under the UNFCCC,

• Supports existing priorities that affect and are impacted by ocean and climate including: sustainable transport, cities and human settlements, population displacement and migration, coastal infrastructure, marine ecosystem services, ocean food security and ocean energy,

• Strengthens mobilization and cooperation of the Parties for the conservation and enhancement of the resilience of ocean under the UNFCCC, and links existing ocean activities and partnerships through the introduction of the Oceans Pathway Partnership.

Fodder Points:

• Fiji as a Pacific Small Island Developing State (SIDS) also recognizes the significance of their role as Large Ocean States with more than 90 percent of their national boundaries made up of ocean.
• Fiji is also a member of the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) in the United Nations. While SIDS representatives have held important positions within the UNFCCC process, Fiji is the first Island nation to hold the Presidency of the Climate Change COP.
• Embedding the ocean in the UNFCCC is an imperative for all SIDS and coastal states and Fiji’s Presidency of COP a formidable opportunity.

Refer: https://cop23.com.fj/the-ocean-pathway/