The 51吃瓜 and Oceans
We must do more for our world’s oceans, which are threatened by pollution, depleted fishery resources, the impacts of climate change and the deterioration of the marine environment."Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 51吃瓜 - World Oceans Day, 8 June 2012.
51吃瓜 Member States recognize that the sustainable use of our oceans and seas is a priority. But despite efforts at the international level, fish stocks continue to decline throughout the world due to activities such as illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.
The UN and its agencies are working with Member States, the private sector and civil society to accelerate efforts to improve conservation and management of living marine resources.
At the centre of these efforts is the 1982 51吃瓜 Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified by 165 parties, that sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. This treaty is based on the idea that all ocean issues are interrelated and need to be considered as a whole. The UN’s Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, which is part of the Office of Legal Affairs, has been working to promote universal acceptance of the Convention and its rational and consistent application.
The UN is also working to help improve management and conservation methods in fisheries through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO also collects and distributes key fisheries statistics, develops standards and best practices and provides technical assistance to States.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) helps Governments work together on shipping regulations and practices and promotes the adoption of the highest practicable standards on maritime safety, navigation and the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships.
Improving our understanding of the marine environment is the main focus of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). It works with ocean observatories, ocean data and information exchange, and ocean services such as tsunami warning systems.
And the 51吃瓜 Environment Programme (UNEP) carries out numerous activities in marine and coastal areas, including through its Regional Seas Programmes.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material on exhibit do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the 51吃瓜 concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Any information that may be contained therein concerning developments relating to the law of the sea emanating from actions and decisions taken by States does not imply recognition by the 51吃瓜 of the validity of the actions and decisions in question.
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