Co-chairs José María Figueres and Trevor Manuel speaking at the Sustainable Ocean Summit in Washington DC.

‘We need to work together for healthier and sustainable bottom lines,’ said José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica.

‘How do we create the opportunities for new jobs, for new business models, entrepreneurship… to actively get us back on track and move collaboratively to a better management of our commons?’

‘You are all powerful agents of change.’

Alongside fellow Commission Co-chair Trevor Manuel, Minister in the South African presidency, Mr Figueres took part in an extended dialogue with delegates at the event in Washington DC, the second World Ocean Summit.

Sectors represented included shipping, oil and gas, fisheries, aquaculture, ports, mining, renewable energy, tourism, dredging, marine science/technology, maritime law, insurance and finance.

While the Co-chairs briefly outlined the Commission’s mandate and objectives, they said that above all they wanted to ask businesses for their views and ideas on advancing the sustainable ocean agenda.

These will inform the recommendations that the Commission will issue during the first half of next year, a few months before the United Nations General Assembly commences discussions on evolving governance and management of international waters.

‘We need to convene beyond governments to the private sector and NGOs, so that the UN has a bargain on the table that they can’t walk away from’ said Mr Manuel.

Co-chairs invited businesses to share their views and ideas on advancing the sustainable ocean agenda.

‘We don’t only want to hear from scientists and ministers – we need to hear from you, because this is your livelihood.’

The session was part of the continuing series of face-to-face dialogues held by Global Ocean Commissioners, which started at their inaugural meeting in March in South Africa

The Sustainable Ocean Summit, organised by the World Ocean Council, is a large and diverse gathering that brings together members of the ocean business community interested in more effective leadership, collaboration and business value in addressing shared ocean environmental challenges.

Issues raised by delegates during the session included:

• UN and other existing regulatory frameworks that impact industry now and may do so in future
• The legitimacy of fishing subsidies
• Expanding the International Seabed Authority’s remit to include the water column
• Potential pitfalls of ocean geo-engineering
• Disparities between different ocean industries.

Participants generally gave a warm welcome to the Global Ocean Commission. One delegate noted that businesses did not want to wait for regulatory measures to tighten, but are calling for action now.

He indicated that industry can take practical and positive steps towards sustainability now that they are not reliant on United Nations negotiations.

Delegates were invited to New Caledonia with an exchange of gifts at the Customary Senate, seat of the traditional council

Mr Toloa, minister of energy for Tokelau and former head of government, outlined the Commission’s mandate and approach at the meeting, which brought together delegations from 11 Pacific island nations and territories.

‘The Global Ocean Commission is particularly relevant to Pacific peoples, because the ocean itself is so important to our way of life,’ he said.

‘Whether we see it on our balance sheets or feel it in our bones, we are ocean people.

‘But just as the Commission is important for the Pacific, equally Pacific experiences can inform the Commission’s work, because many countries here are finding effective ways to better manage their own waters in the face of environmental degradation and climate change.’

Faipule Foua Toloa and Anthony Lecren, originator of Oceania21

Via a number of international agreements over the last 30 years, Pacific island nations have increased the sustainability of fisheries in their region, implemented regulations aimed at conserving biodiversity, and increased revenue from sustainable use of resources within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

Judging by discussions at the Oceania21 meeting, the next ‘hot ocean topic’ in the region could be seabed mining.

The Pacific seabed bears extensive resources of metals including copper, nickel, gold and ‘rare earth’ elements.

The world’s first seabed mining operation is set to begin imminently in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea. But future ventures are likely to take place on the international seabed.

As Mr Toloa outlined to the Oceania21 meeting after a presentation on the science and technology of seabed mining by Dr Lionel Loubersac of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER), the industry could bring significant rewards. But there are concerns over its potential impact on living organisms, and over the equitable sharing of benefits.

Mr Toloa and Dr Rodgers discussed issues of common interest

‘We welcome the establishment of the Global Ocean Commission, which has the potential to address some vital issues in our region,’ said Anthony Lecren, member of the New Caledonian government with responsibility for the economy, trade, housing and sustainable development, and originator of Oceania21.

‘We hope and believe that Commissioner Toloa can take the concerns of Pacific peoples into the Commission – and therefore put them in front of world leaders.’

The Oceania21 initiative is a product of last year’s Rio+20 summit and an extension of the One Tree, One Day, One Life project, which aims to plant one tree for each citizen every year across a number of Pacific states.

Foua Toloa also had a productive meeting with Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which brings together 26 Pacific states and territories.

They discussed a number of issues of common interest to the SPC and the Commission, including the monitoring of potential damage from seabed mining and control of illegal fishing, which continues to be a major issue in and outside the EEZs of Pacific nations.

The Commission, an independent, high-level panel that will recommend reforms to high seas governance and management, said the initiative would help to give ocean issues the importance they merit.

Simon Reddy

‘There’s clearly huge public support for sustainable management of the high seas, but these issues have largely been ignored by governments because they are literally out of sight.

‘The Commission is determined to change that, because the high seas are humanity’s future; at our meeting last month, Commissioners emphasised the importance of engagement across all sectors of society, so we welcome the French initiative for its prescience and vision in issuing a call for action on the high seas.’

The ‘Paris Call for the High Seas’ will be launched at the end of a multi-stakeholder conference on ‘The High Seas – Our Future’, organised with the support and participation of the French Government.

The high seas, which lie beyond countries’ national waters, constitute almost half of the planet’s surface. They sit under a governance regime that has not evolved in response to modern scientific understanding of factors such as climate change and overfishing, or to rapid advances in extractive technologies.

An international opinion survey released by the Commission last month showed overwhelming public support for sustainable management of the global ocean. Eighty-five percent of respondents in 13 countries said governments should take the needs of future generations into account when deciding how to manage the high seas, with only 5% opposed.

The Global Ocean Commission, jointly chaired by former Costa Rican President José María Figueres, South African Minister Trevor Manuel and former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband, will issue a set of recommendations for reform in the first half of 2014.

Later that year, the UN General Assembly is due to begin discussions on conserving biodiversity in the high seas – a decision made at the Rio+20 summit last year.

Fisheries practices that prevent the ocean from providing as much food as it could, inequalities in access to ocean resources and continuing damage to marine life are all parts of a picture that could be vastly improved with better management, they said.

The Global Ocean Commission is an independent group of leaders from politics, business, economics, law and development, jointly chaired by former Costa Rican President José María Figueres, Trevor Manuel, Minister in the South African Presidency, and former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP.

Trevor Manuel and David Miliband

‘We have taken our first steps into these waters, and I have to say that we have travelled a long way in just a few days,’ said Mr Manuel.

‘We have listened to experts and had a very productive dialogue with stakeholders; we have discussed the problems, we have talked through some initial ideas on possible solutions,’ he said.

‘None of us was foolish enough to think that charting a future for the ocean would be easy; but from where we are now, I can say that it looks feasible.’

The Commission’s work will focus on the high seas, the waters that lie outside the control of individual governments and make up 45% of the Earth’s surface. They sit under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which passed its 30th anniversary in December.

As legal specialists told the Commission, UNCLOS has been very successful in some areas, such as merchant shipping. But it has been much less successful at conserving biodiversity or maximising the economic return from fisheries.

‘When you look at the way the high seas are governed and managed, you see a system that is seriously fragmented and, in some important ways, simply out of date,’ said Mr Miliband.

‘On land, when we look around the world, we see how crucial good governance is for economies and for the environment, and the high seas are no different; reform is imperative.’

On the eve of the meeting, the Commission released results of a global survey indicating that 85% of the public worldwide support sustainable management of the ocean, with just 5% opposed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tMn4t-XI6I

Commissioner Foua Toloa describes the importance of the ocean to Pacific Islanders

A key concern running through the meeting was equity.

The Commission heard peer-reviewed evidence showing that developing countries are disproportionately affected by overfishing, and lack the technical and political resources to gain an equitable footing in management bodies.

‘Hunger is most serious in the developing world, while the nations that spend the most on harmful fishing subsidies are developed ones,’ said Commissioner Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Nigerian Education Minister and founder of Transparency International.

Commissioner Obiageli Ezekwesili spoke of the vital importance of equity in high seas management

During their formal sessions, Commissioners heard from experts in science, economics and governance, from South Africa and further afield.

In two open meetings, stakeholders from Southern Africa, including people in ocean businesses, local and deep-water fishers, naval officers, conservationists, trade unionists and academics, gave Commissioners their perspectives.

‘The objective briefings we received from scientists and economists outlined a serious and one might almost say depressing set of problems on the ocean, and that picture was re-inforced by some of the local stakeholders we met,’ said Mr Figueres.

‘But other stakeholders were good enough to share with us some reasons for optimism and some ideas for change that we will take on board, and we’re grateful to them all for their input.

‘Thinking back to the South Africa of 25 years ago, we can only receive inspiration from the changes its people wrought, and believe that the changes we need on the high seas are possible too if we work hard enough – which we will.’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADfiY_-wRkQ

Stakeholders give their perspectives on the Commission following an evening’s dialogue at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town

The Commission will hold further formal meetings and engage with stakeholder communities in various countries around the world.

Its recommendations will feed into a number of international processes, including the United Nations General Assembly deliberations on conserving biodiversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction, scheduled for September 2014.

Local and deep-water fishers, scientists, legal experts, trade union leaders, naval officers and conservationists were among those who came to the event, held on the eve of the Commission’s first formal meeting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNZ6CkPZqUI

Global Ocean Commission Co-chairs José María Figueres and Trevor Manuel, as well as Commissioners Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Robert Hill and Foua Toloa, were at the session held at the University of Cape Town.

The event marks the beginning of a process lasting little over a year that will see the Commission develop a set of recommendations that, if implemented, would restore the global ocean to full health and productivity.

The event began with expert presentations on science, economics and law as they relate to the high seas, the part of the global ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction and constitutes 45% of the planet’s surface – the focus of the Commission’s work.

Trevor Manuel: ‘wherever we meet, we’ll listen’

Mr Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, told delegates that scientific understanding of issues that affect the ocean, such as climate change, acidification and overfishing, was a long way ahead of policymaking.

‘There is a big void between being, in market terms, “long on the science” and being “short on the policy side” – meaning this tremendously big void between what we know we should be doing and what we’re not doing because of a lack of policy,’ he said.

‘This is a gap that the Commission aims to focus on; how do we close the gap so we bring policy and governance issues up to the same level of what we already know on the scientific side?’

Many participants at the event, hosted by 567 Cape Talk radio presenter Kieno Kammies, came from local fishing communities. They were keen to know how the Commission’s work could address issues that they, and their peers elsewhere on the African coast, face. These include competition from illegal fishing, the impact of non-African fleets on coastal fisheries, and potential damage as seabed mining expands.

Others discussed the roles of existing international organisations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), and the fact that developed nations are better resourced than most African ones to influence the workings of these bodies.

Mr Manuel, Minister in the South African Presidency responsible for planning, said that engagement with all constituencies that have a relationship to the ocean is critical for the Commission’s work.

‘The Commission hasn’t actually started work yet – we start our first meeting tomorrow, and part of what we’re doing, now and wherever we meet, is we’ll listen,’ he said.

‘We’re going to ensure that people can communicate with the Commission… the ideas people share will be fundamentally important to us.’

People appreciate the importance of the global ocean in their lives. (c) Wolcott Henry 2005/Marine Photobank

The Commission, an independent task force of international leaders working to address threats and challenges to our ocean, released the findings on the eve of its first meeting, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Eighty-five percent of those surveyed agreed that ‘Governments must take the needs of future generations into account when deciding how international parts of the ocean should be used and governed’. Only 5% disagreed.

The strongest endorsement was found in China, where 93% of respondents agreed with the statement, and in Indonesia, with 90%. In no country surveyed was support below 75%.

‘The results show that people around the world are concerned for the future of their ocean and the good things it provides,’ said Trevor Manuel, South African Minister in the Presidency and a Co-chair of the Global Ocean Commission.

‘The Commission’s objective is to chart the course towards a sustainably productive ocean, and to do it quickly; the survey suggests that people around the world would support that.’

The survey also showed that people appreciate the importance of the ocean for life itself. Asked what proportion of the oxygen they breathe comes from the ocean, people on average put the figure at 43%, close to the scientific estimate of about 50%.

‘Food from the sea, production of oxygen, absorption of carbon dioxide; we all depend on the global ocean, and the survey suggests people understand that very well, which is encouraging and timely for our work,’ said José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica and a Co-chair of the Global Ocean Commission.

Marine bacteria such as Prochlorococcus produce about half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Philipp Boersch-Supan, University of Oxford

‘Unfortunately, evidence from scientists shows pressures on the ocean are increasing, with a third of fisheries exploited beyond their limit and carbon emissions making the water more acidic; these are things we need to address if our children and grandchildren are to obtain the same benefits that our generation has enjoyed.’

The survey suggested that people are generally aware of that most of the global ocean consists of ‘high seas’ – the area under international jurisdiction where the Commission will focus its work. On average, people estimated that 54% of the ocean is high seas, close to the real figure of about 65%.

However, more information about high seas issues would clearly be welcome. Just 15% of people agreed with the statement ‘I feel well-informed about issues relating to the high seas, the international parts of the ocean’, while 62% disagreed. Almost one-third of Indians and Indonesians feel well-informed, but only 4% of French and Japanese.

‘The high seas are clearly out of sight, and too often they are “out of mind” as well,’ said David Miliband MP, former UK Foreign Secretary and Co-chair of the Global Ocean Commission.

‘The area of the high seas adds up, though, to almost half of the Earth’s surface; and it’s unthinkable that we can allow such a vast, economically productive region to continue being “out of mind”.

‘The survey shows that everyone who’s in a position to inform people about the global ocean and the benefits it brings has a real job to do in putting the information across and engaging them in discussion.’

Launched last month, the Global Ocean Commission brings together eminent political figures from across the world, along with leaders from business, economics, development and law. It will analyse threats, challenges and opportunities concerning the high seas, and develop pragmatic, cost-effective recommendations that would, if implemented, reverse degradation of the global ocean and restore it to full health and productivity. The Commission will publish its final recommendations in the first half of 2014, shortly before the UN General Assembly begins discussions on protecting high seas biodiversity – a commitment made at the Rio+20 summit last year.

Sixty-one percent of those asked strongly agreed that governments must take the needs of future generations into account when deciding how international parts of the ocean should be used and governed.

NOTES: Opinium Research conducted 13,134 online interviews (~1,000 per country) with adults in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Spain, UK and US. The Fieldwork was conducted from 4^th to 13^th March 2013. Samples were made to match the age and gender demographics of the target country

Download the survey statistics here

‘When the world you inhabit is beset by economic ills, the last thing a sensible society should do is ignore a valuable resource,’ he writes.

‘When your country and continent are doing their best to develop and bring the good things in life to all of their people, the last thing they should do is forgo an opportunity to secure a more equal share of the world’s riches.

‘But ignoring a vast resource and forgoing a development opportunity are what we have been doing for too long with the world’s great ocean.’

Mr Manuel, Minister in the South African Presidency responsible for planning and a former Finance Minister, co-chairs the Global Ocean Commission with former Costa Rican President José María Figueres and former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

In the article, he points out that known economic losses from mismanagement of fisheries amount to $50bn per year, while losses from the overall degradation of ocean health could be much larger.

‘The deficits in high seas governance and management have to be a concern because they directly affect what the ocean can provide,’ he argues, adding that food security, human rights and global security are further arguments for reform.

Mr Manuel’s article comes just ahead of the Commission’s first meeting in Cape Town, and just after the Commission released results of a survey indicating that a significant majority of the world’s population supports sustainable management of the high seas.

During the meeting, Commissioners will discuss the current state of science, economics and law as they relate to the high seas, the international parts of the ocean that lie outside the jurisdiction of individual governments and make up nearly half of the Earth’s surface.

They will also hold two meetings with South African stakeholders in ocean issues, the first step in a process of global engagement.

Illegal fishing causes ecological, security and human rights concerns (US Coastguard)

Launched at INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, Project SCALE will help authorities combat illegal activities estimated to be worth $10-23bn per year, which have been linked to human rights abuses and the trafficking of drugs, arms and people.

Project SCALE’s objectives include gathering data on fisheries crime, conducting operations against criminal activities, and helping authorities to establish national task forces.

‘In many parts of the world, measures to constrain overfishing are virtually certain to fail unless illegality is effectively tackled,’ said Global Ocean Commission Co-chair and former President of Costa Rica José María Figueres, a speaker at the launch event.

‘Curbing illegal fishing is a vital step towards restoring the ecological health of the global ocean, and so realising its full economic potential.

‘The Global Ocean Commission looks forward to further conversations with INTERPOL when Project SCALE is fully underway, so that the experiences gained can better inform the Commission’s report and recommendations.’

Launched on 12th February, the Global Ocean Commission is an independent group of senior political figures drawn from societies across the globe. Its focus is on the high seas, the areas that lie outside the jurisdiction of individual governments and that make up 45% of the Earth’s surface.

The Commission’s recommendations are due to be released early in 2014. They will consist of realistic and cost-effective proposals that can, if implemented, end high seas overfishing, stop the loss of habitat and biodiversity, improve monitoring and compliance, and build a system of governance fit for 21st Century challenges.

In a recorded message from Cape Town, Co-chair Trevor Manuel spoke of the importance of the ocean in terms of climate regulation, trade and tourism.

At the launch event were senior figures from politics, academia, business, UN agencies, civil society, the military and faith groups.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsQ1e0yUM-E

‘Whether on land or at sea, when we lift our sight over the horizon of our daily activities to determine the important challenges we must meet – addressing head-on poverty and inequality as well as climate change and environmental degradation – [these] constitute an ethical imperative as well as an economic opportunity,’ said Mr Figueres, the former Costa Rican President who now leads the Carbon War Room.

As with climate change, he suggested, there are ways forward on the global ocean that are positive both ecologically and economically.

Mr Miliband, the former UK Foreign Secretary and Environment Secretary, said that ocean issues ‘go to the heart of our responsibility, not just as politicians but as citizens’.

‘We have a responsibility to be the truth-tellers about the risks we are running, not just for this generation but for future generations,’ he said.

Manganese nodules from the deep ocean floor were among ocean artefacts kindly loaned by researchers around the UK

‘The lights are flashing red, and we have a duty to make sure that those lights are seen not just by policymakers, not just by business people, but by citizens as well.’

Mr Manuel, South African Finance Minister for 12 years in the immediate post-apartheid period and now Minister in the Presidency, noted the fundamental importance of the ocean in people’s lives.

‘The global ocean is very much part of Africa; it’s part of our economy, it’s part of our society,’ he said.

‘It has shaped our history, it’s shaped our present, and will continue to shape our future – every aspect of what we are, the trade with other countries, the climate that we are dependent on.’

‘We need the ocean; and the Ocean Commission in many ways will be exceedingly important to us going forward.’

This theme was developed by Obiageli Ezekwesili, the former Nigerian Education Minister and co-founder of the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International.

‘The ocean is vital, it’s very important for developing countries,’ she said.

‘The west coast of Africa is essentially one place where you see the issues and the necessity for better management of the ocean and sustainable governance of ocean resources. You see it manifest not just in terms of the esoterics of the science, but in terms of the individual families who depend on the ocean as their source of livelihood.’

Speakers also noted the links between illegal fishing and issues such as human rights and security.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzW5onZxbTc

The evening began with a ‘virtual journey’ through ocean issues

The Global Ocean Commission now moves to its first meeting in Cape Town in March. Further meetings will take place during the year, and the Commission will issue its recommendations and report early in 2014, feeding into the UN General Assembly debate on high seas biodiversity due to take place later that year.

Noting the tight schedule and the need for dynamism, Mr Miliband said the Commission will build on the large body of work already in the public domain regarding ocean issues.

‘I have sat on enough commissions, and more importantly received reports from enough commissions, to know that if we “take minutes and spend years”, as they say, and end up with thousands of recommendations, we will have failed in our task.’

This Commission, he pledged, will produce ‘practical proposals that can lead to action’.