Mr. Co-chairpersons,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union, representing the views of its 27 Member States. The Candidate Countries Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* (*Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process), the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Armenia and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this statement.
A few months ago in the General Assembly, it was decided with consensus that the 10th meeting of the Informal Consultative Process should “focus its discussions on the implementation of the outcomes of the Consultative Process, including a review of its achievements and shortcomings in its first nine meetings”.
The EU would like to express its gratitude towards the two Co-chairpersons for providing us with a good basis for our discussions at this year’s ICP. We would also like to commend the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs for its part in the preparations. For a review to be successful there is a need for both reflection and some sound self-criticism. We should ask ourselves if we have achieved what we set out to do and reflect on the future of the process.
It is now ten years ago that the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), concluded that “Because of the complex and interrelated nature of the oceans, oceans and seas present a special case as regards the need for international coordination and cooperation” and recommended the establishment of an open-ended informal consultative process “with the sole function of facilitating the effective and constructive consideration of matters within the General Assembly’s existing mandate”.
We all agree that that was the starting point which subsequently led to us gathering these three days.
The General Assembly rightly took the advice of the CSD and established the Informal Consultative Process through the adoption of resolution 54/33, in, and here I quote” the legal framework provided by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas and the goals of chapter 17 of Agenda 21”. These are the foundations that remain valid, namely that; - All aspects of oceans and seas are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole. - The Convention on the Law of the Sea, with its delicate balance between the rights and responsibilities of Flag States and Coastal States, sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.- There is a need for an integrated approach to all legal, economic, social, environmental and other relevant aspects of oceans and seas- There is also a continued need to improve coordination, cooperation as well as capacity-building at both the intergovernmental and inter-agency levels - The format should be inclusive and should ensure the opportunity to receive input from representatives of the major groups as identified in Agenda 21
For the last decade the ICP has been the only existing global forum established within the UN framework that focuses entirely on ocean affairs, that allows for informal discussions on cross-cutting topics, is based on an integrated approach with multidisciplinary expertise, and that is broadly open for participation to all relevant stakeholders and identifies areas in which coordination, cooperation and capacity-building at the intergovernmental and inter-agency levels should be enhanced.
In its nine previous sessions the ICP has dealt with a large number of issues, ranging from the economic and social aspects of marine pollution, maritime safety and security, IUU fishing to marine genetic resources. The ICP has shed light on emerging ocean related challenges and laid the foundation for international action to address those challenges.
The EU considers that, in general, the ICP has been contributing to a qualitative review of the annual report of the Secretary General on the Oceans and the Law of the Sea, and has facilitated the annual review in the General Assembly and strengthened the debate on these matters. ICP has provided a platform for a more integrated and interactive debate by bringing together experts, practitioners, decision-makers and representatives of the civil society that do not always have the possibility to meet within or outside their respective specialized fora.
It is the opinion of the European Union that the ICP has served its original purpose, but it is nevertheless clear that there is room for improvement in terms of both substance, procedure and outcome to enable the ICP to produce concrete contributions to the UNGA, Member States and/or competent regional and international organizations as well as non-governmental organizations.
The EU has carefully studied the report of the Secretary-General and other contributions to this session and we stand ready to discuss constructive ways and means to further promote our common goals.
Allow me, Mr. Co-chairpersons, to pose some open questions which, in the view of the EU, deserve our attention in the coming days:
Have we lived up to the expectations of the Commission on Sustainable Development? Have some parts of the mandate been better executed than others? Should we adjust our working methods in order to better implement our mandate? .The EU looks forward to, and is ready and willing to engaging in a fruitful discussion on these very important matters with other Member States as well as with all other stakeholders.
Thank you Mr. Co-chairpersons,