- 2 - Press Release SEA/1 681 26 May 2000
It has been emphasized that actions need to take place primarily at the national level, where a multiplicity of agencies are responsible for ocean-related matters. Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others need to work together to develop the required interlinkages.
The two co-chairpersons of UNICPO, Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni Slade (Samoa) and Alan Simcock (United Kingdom), have drawn up a format for the meeting which, among others, provides the opportunity to receive inputs from major groups as identified in Agenda 21 . They also presented an annotated agenda for this first meeting, which identified two areas of focus: Responsible fisheries and illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries: Moving from principles to implementation; and Economic and social impacts of marine pollution and degradation, especially in coastal areas: International aspects of combating them.
Responsible Fisheries
The UNICPO is expected to address how the current forms of consultation and cooperation, both between the relevant member organizations of the United Nations system and between the Organization and other international and regional organizations (particularly regional fisheries organizations), can be strengthened in order to better respond to the problem of illegal and unregulated fishing. The problem of illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries has been highlighted by the Secretary-General in previous reports to the General Assembly as one issue that is believed to have an adverse impact on the sustainable development of developing coastal States.
At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working on an international plan of action to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries. The Commission on Sustainable Development has supported that work and said that it should include the issue of those States which do not fulfil their responsibilities, under international law, as flag States with respect to their fishing vessels.
Marine Pollution
The Global Environment Outlook 2000 (GEO 2000), the most authoritative assessment of global and regional environmental issues facing the international community, concluded that the coastal marine environment was clearly affected by the destruction of habitats, overfishing and pollution. GEO 2000 also concluded that the coastal area environment was being degraded by agricultural and urban development, industrial facilities, port and road construction, dredging and filling, tourism and aquaculture.
GEO 2000 emphasized that many countries depend on sources of income from activities that would be directly threatened by degradation of the marine environment Tourism and fishing were obvious examples of such threatened activities.
In that respect, UNICPO will examine how States can best be helped to evaluate the economic and social impacts of marine pollution, and whether the protection of the marine environment has been sufficiently integrated into the general planning for sustainable development.
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