ICES was seeking observer
status to the General Assembly in order to contribute to the UN work on ocean
sustainability, climate change, biodiversity, and conservation and management
of resources.
“We are delighted of the
news, and look forward to contributing to the UN ocean agenda and working together with other global IGOs to provide the scientific evidence base needed
for the sustainable future of the oceans,” said ICES General Secretary Anne
Christine Brusendorff.
“As an observer to the UN General Assembly, ICES is ready to contribute and engage actively in
relevant work of the United Nations, such as achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she continued.
ICES pledged two commitments
at the UN
Ocean Conference in June last year in support of the SDGs: one on
developing the science basis to assist ecosystem based management and the other to enhance marine
science training and capacity building.
Support for SDG 14
(Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development) is outlined
in a statement, which covers
the ways in which ICES contributes to the goal: by providing the scientific evidence
for decision-making via integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs) and ecosystem
overviews, addressing the impacts of ocean acidification, and assessing fish
stocks in order to provide advice on the sustainable level of fishing activity.
In addition, ICES is
contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development as well as the Informal Consultations of
States Parties to the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and the UN
Open-ended Informal Consultative Process in Oceans and the Law of the Sea.
ICES already has formal
cooperation agreements with a number of
intergovernmental organizations, including two UN organzations the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO).
