Countries around the world began the final round of negotiations for an international agreement to protect the oceans this Monday, with calls for “flexibility” and “compromise” involving environmental groups, fearing too little ambitious text to protect the oceans.
After the previous four rounds and two years of delays due to the pandemic, governments are expected to finally agree on a legally binding document for the protection of international waters in the next two weeks. oceans.
“The dire state of the oceans means: now is the time to act“, warned Miguel de Serpa Soares, secretary general of the conference that negotiated the agreement, and also urged all countries to show a spirit of “cooperation” and to find “compromises”.
Rena Lee, who has presided over the negotiations since the beginning, stressed that “real progress” had been made in the final round Efe made it clear that this “could be the basis for reconciliation”, but that “creativity” and “resilience” would be required to close a deal.
Lee said the goal should be an agreement “that is fair, balanced, viable and attracts universal practice” and encouraged the pursuit of excellence not to ruin the chances of a positive outcome.
This need for consensus worries environmental groups, who fear a caffeine-free deal And it doesn’t go far enough.
Pilar Marcos, part of the group, said: “Of course flexibility. There are almost two hundred countries that are going to decide on a deal… but it takes a lot of leadership to make sure it doesn’t stay as usual.” The delegation told Greenpeace Efe, who was traveling to New York.
“The oceans are in a death spiral”
Marcos acknowledged that it would take “a lot of diplomacy” to bring countries with very different positions on the oceans to agreement, but he reminded that there was too much experience left “on paper” and that the status quo now cannot be sustained. is preserved.
“The oceans are indeed in a death spiral and We can’t spend twenty years arguing whether temples can be built on the high seas,” he insists.
“This negotiation session should aim for the most ambitious compromise possible. It’s time to put aside self-interest and make the right decisions for the future of our ocean, climate and communities,” said Jessica Battle, an expert at the WWF organization.
Protect at least 30% of the oceans
Environmentalists consider it necessary for the future agreement to be considered successful, and essentially establishment of “marine protected areas”, zones free from activities that destroy biodiversity such as fishing and mining.
The goal set by these groups is to ensure that at least 30% of the ocean area is protected by 2030, according to the High Seas Alliance, a major platform that unites dozens of NGOs.
Fifty countries led by the European Union (EU) have pledged to close an “ambitious” deal this year.but environmentalists question even the will of this group, given the existence of countries with strong fishing interests such as Spain, Portugal or Denmark.
Protection or management
NGOs, grouped under the Alliance for the High Seas, warn that first of all, UN countries must decide whether they really want an agreement that allows them to “protect” or “manage” areas of the oceans. continuing activities such as fishing or underwater mining.
To reach an agreement, governments will need to overcome their differences in this area, as well as the more general political divide currently experienced in the international community and emerging as early as today’s inaugural session. Western powers, the US and Russia, made mutual accusations about the war in Ukraine.
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