Tangier (© 2024 Afriquinfos) The African Consultation in preparation for the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC-3) was held on October 9 in Tangier, as part of the dedicated African Week (October 7-10) . The consultation made it possible to align the priorities of African Member States of the United Nations with the international agenda, to create a dynamic specific to Africa, and to strengthen the inclusive governance of marine spaces, taking into account regional specificities, in more to unite the efforts of African States to collectively and effectively address issues related to the oceans.
The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests of Morocco, Mohammed Sadiki, opened this Consultation by setting the global context of the discussions, which are marked by crucial issues for the protection of oceans. He recalled that the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon had clearly highlighted the state of emergency of maritime areas, highlighting several major challenges such as the destructive effects of climate change, overfishing, marine pollution increasing and ocean acidification, which are of particular importance
«A clear consensus has emerged: only increased mobilization of financing, marine technologies and substantial capacity building will make it possible to reverse these serious and alarming trends.“, underlined the minister, noting that the debates noted the need to consider the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their entirety, and more particularly SDG 14 “Aquatic life”, as a true cornerstone of future efforts.
Africa, a continent particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, must fully seize this opportunity to take ownership of the Lisbon recommendations and adapt them to its specific realities, said Mr. Sadiki.
To do this, we should not only adopt concrete measures to preserve marine resources, but also work to establish financing and cooperation mechanisms tailor-made to meet our own needs.
«Today’s African consultation is a unique opportunity to form a united front and prepare for strong and ambitious participation in the Nice Conference, so that Africa speaks with one voice.», assured the minister.
For his part, Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Ocean, stressed the importance for Africa to strengthen its commitment to urgent issues related to the oceans, with a view to presenting itself at the UNOC-3 with a carefully prepared position and message, which represents the interests of each country, as well as those of the continent as a whole.
The UN official encouraged the participating delegations to fully coordinate during this consultation, with a view to preparing a common message of “blue Africa” to present to the world, in addition to strengthening the continent’s action in the development of a sustainable blue economy.
For his part, the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, considered that African States, by adopting a consolidated and unified position, have the capacity to position themselves as a leader capable of influencing decisions concerning marine resources, preservation of the marine environment and equitable sharing of benefits.
«Africa deserves special attention, both in the preparations and in the content of the outcome of the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Oceans», he insisted, affirming that African States have all the levers to be a key player for the success of this UN process.
This Consultation, which is in line with the Royal Vision for the Atlantic, brought together more than thirty countries from the continent, including 16 ministers. The meeting, organized with the support of the United Nations, aims to align the priorities of African UN member states with the international agenda, to create a dynamic specific to the continent and to strengthen inclusive governance of marine spaces.
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