SEYCHELLES REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT AT COP22 IN PUTTING THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE OCEAN AT THE HEART OF GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGIES

During its participation at the Paris Climate Conference which took place from 30^th  November to 12^th  December last year, Seychelles took the opportunity to join the “Because the Ocean” group of countries which are uniting to protect the global ocean and through it the global climate. Twenty two countries decided to take a stand as 75% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean absorbs 25% of CO₂ emissions and 90% of the heat associated with climate change. The  “Because the Ocean” initiative was a call urging the international community to take action in order to enhance global Ocean Resilience to the impacts of CO2 Emissions and Climate Change because the ocean is the most important driver of our planet’s climatic system.

The initiative was put forward by six partner organizations; the Global Ocean Commission, the Government of Chile, the Government of France, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Policy research Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDRRI) and the French ocean advocacy organization-Tara Expeditions. The proposal was officially launched on the eve of the official opening of COP21 in 2015 whereby the countries signed the “Because the Ocean” Declaration which was calling for:`

1) A special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the ocean,

2) A UN conference on Ocean and Seas to establish a regular review and benchmarking of SDG No.14, the UN Ocean Sustainable Development Goal, and

3) The development of an ocean action plan under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Seychelles Government which had been spearheading the Blue Economy concept at the international level gave its endorsement to the declaration on the 9^th December 2015. Now during 22^nd Conference of the Parties in Marrakech, the Seychelles Government once again reaffirmed its commitment to the initiative and each of the three areas of action addressed last year, and signed the second “Because the Ocean Declaration" . The Declaration was signed on the 14^th November 2017 at a special event held at the Pavilion of France and it was signed on behalf of Seychelles, by Mr. Didier Dogley, the Minister for Environment, Energy & Climate Change. The amended declaration which builds on achievements and consultations that followed the entry into force of the Paris Agreement and the reaffirmation of the importance of the Ocean to climate action was signed by several other countries and the ceremony included the participation of several head of states including HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Hilda Heine, President of the Marshall Islands and Tommy Remengesau, President of Palau.

In a short statement that Minister Dogley gave at the ceremony, he informed those present that Seychelles was not signing the declaration because it is today vogue to speak about the Ocean but because we islanders our well-being is intertwined with the health of the Ocean and there cannot be a future for us and indeed planet earth, if the oceans are in turmoil.  

All the “Because the Ocean” group of countries including Seychelles, feels that the ocean will have a critical role in the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement and encourages other countries to sign the declaration and to participate in the first high level UN Ocean and Seas conference that will take place in Washington DC in June 2017 which will propel this initiative.

Figure 1: Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Didier Dogley addressing the participants of the Second Declaration of the "Because the Ocean" Initiative.

Figure 2: Members of the "Because the Ocean" Group.