{"id":57286,"date":"2023-02-20T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=57286"},"modified":"2023-02-20T13:56:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T18:56:17","slug":"un-ocean-treaty-negotiations-resume-as-30x30-hangs-in-the-balance-greenpeace-opening-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/press-release\/57286\/un-ocean-treaty-negotiations-resume-as-30x30-hangs-in-the-balance-greenpeace-opening-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Ocean Treaty negotiations resume as 30×30 hangs in the balance: Greenpeace opening statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vancouver <\/strong> \u2014 The final negotiations for a UN Ocean Treaty<\/a> resume today. Without a strong Treaty, it is practically impossible to protect 30% of the world\u2019s oceans by 2030, the 30×30 target. This target was agreed at COP15 in Montreal in December 2022. Failure to agree a Treaty will jeopradise the 30×30 target just months after it was agreed. Progress on ocean sanctuaries was made at the last negotiations giving hope that a Treaty is within reach.<\/p>\n\n

Sarah King, Head of Greenpeace Canada\u2019s Oceans & Plastics campaigns, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cAs host country of COP15 last year where the target of 30% global ocean protection by 2030 was agreed, Canada has a special responsibility to lead in the upcoming negotiations for a strong Global Ocean Treaty. We hope Minister Murray will harness the momentum from IMPAC5 and urge Canada\u2019s delegation to deliver, before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n\n

From plastic pollution to massive biodiversity losses at the hands of destructive industries, to acting as a global sponge for greenhouse gases, our oceans bear the brunt of our planetary crises. It\u2019s past time they are afforded the protection they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Dr Laura Meller, Oceans Campaigner and Polar Advisor, Greenpeace Nordic said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe oceans support all life on Earth. Their fate will be decided at these negotiations. The science is clear. Protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030 is the absolute minimum necessary to avert catastrophe. It was encouraging to see all governments adopt the 30×30 target last year, but lofty targets mean nothing without action.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis special session taking place so soon after the last round of negotiations collapsed gives us hope. If a strong Treaty is agreed on the 3rd of March, it keeps 30×30 alive. Governments must return to negotiations ready to find compromises and deliver an effective Treaty. We\u2019re already in extra time. These talks are one final chance to deliver. Governments must not fail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

More than 50 High Ambition Coalition countries promised a Treaty in 2022. They failed. Many of the self-proclaimed ocean champions from the Global North refused to compromise on key issues such as financing and monetary benefit sharing from Marine Genetic Resources until the final days of talks. They offered too little, too late.<\/p>\n\n

The sticking points which must be resolved are on finance, capacity building and the fair sharing of benefits from Marine Genetic Resources. Resolving these impasses depends on the Global North making a fair and credible offer to the Global South.<\/p>\n\n

Establishing a global network of protected areas should be a primary objective of the Treaty, making it possible to protect at least 30% of the world\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n\n

A strong Treaty must be able to establish fully protected ocean sanctuaries across the high seas, free from activities like destructive fishing and deep sea mining. The Conference of the Parties (COP) created by the Treaty must be able to take decisions on all potentially damaging activities, including fishing, inside protected areas without deferring to dysfunctional sectoral bodies that only care about short term interests. The COP must also be able to operate by majority vote, not relying on consensus,  to avoid single countries stalling or blocking progress. <\/p>\n\n

Around the world, small-scale fisheries workers and grassroots ocean protectors are demanding action to protect the oceans \u2014 like the community in Cayar, Senegal, who are suing a polluting fishmeal factory<\/a> with Greenpeace’s support. The threat of deep sea mining is adding to the many pressures the oceans are facing. A strong Global Ocean Treaty can help turn the tide, prioritising ocean protection over exploitation.<\/p>\n\n

ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Relevant photo and video content is available for use here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Spokespeople are available in English, Finnish, French, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai. <\/p>\n\n

A media backgrounder is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Brandon Wei, Communications officer, Greenpeace Canada<\/p>\n\n

brandon.wei@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +1 778 772-6138<\/p>\n\n

James Hanson: +44 7801 212 994 \/ james.hanson@greenpeace.org<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace International Press Desk: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The final negotiations for a UN Ocean Treaty resume today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":52543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"not set","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[31],"p4-page-type":[14],"class_list":["post-57286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-oceans","p4-page-type-press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57287,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57286\/revisions\/57287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57286"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=57286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}