UN delegates reach historic agreement on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters

New York: Secretary-General António Guterres has congratulated UN member countries for finalizing a text to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, calling it a “breakthrough” after nearly two decades of talks.

Teaching key to better ocean protection, says UNESCO chief

New York: Education needs to be one of the key pillars for action by countries across the world to better protect the seas and oceans from damaging climate change, said the head of the UN Scientific, Educational, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday.

2020: the year for action, to ‘rise up’ and safeguard ocean life 

New York/IBNS: With the ocean in deep crisis, members of civil society and philanthropic organisations are urging governments and corporations to take bold action to safeguard the ocean.  After a two-day preparatory meeting in New York ahead of June’s UN Ocean Conference in Portugal, activists handed over what they termed “A Blue Call to Action” to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Wednesday.  

Ocean Conference has potential to be a ‘global game-changer’

New York/IBNS: The second global Ocean Conference taking place in Portugal in a few months’ time promises to be “a critical moment” for the health of life under water and on land, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday, as preparations got underway.

Negotiating legally-binding agreement to provide future generations with a ‘healthy, resilient and productive ocean’

New York, Aug 21 (IBNS): While the world’s oceans contain some 200,000 identified living species, the actual numbers could reach the millions ­­– all exposed to the dangers of climate change, pollution and over-exploitation. To stem these threats, the United Nations is meeting to negotiate a treaty that would protect three-quarters of the earth’s surface by 2030.

Ocean life faces ‘onslaught of threats’ from human activity, but tools exist to save it

New York, Mar 3 (IBNS): Underwater life is severely impacted by an “onslaught of threats,” but we already have the tools to positively influence ocean conservation, the UN said in a statement marking 2019 World Wildlife Daywhich, this year, is celebrated under the theme “Life Below Water: for people and planet.”