Light over darkness, hope over despair, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil - the UN lights up. Happy Diwali!
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Peter Thomson
@ThomsonFiji
UNSG's Special Envoy for the Ocean - dedicated to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.
Peter Thomson’s posts
It's done! UNEA adopts the resolution to establish an intergovernmental negotiating committee to establish a binding international treaty to end plastic pollution. Now the hard work starts, but today Member States, the representatives of humanity, have done the right thing.
My granddaughter Rose & I came to a firm understanding over the Christmas break. She will be 80 in 2100 & finds it totally wrong we’re still on course to a 3 to 5 degree world by then. She says her generation insists we take a good look at ourselves & all change course now.
The Ocean & humans are inextricably connected. The Ocean is a major influence on the weather & climate. It supports a great diversity of life & ecosystems and makes Earth habitable. Happy World Ocean Day!
Sailing to Glasgow! Only five weeks ‘til COP26, the conference which must produce the pivot we need for a sustainable world. Expect the Ocean community to play its part. #Ocean plus #Atmosphere equals #Climate.
I arrive in Lisbon in 4 days to participate in UNOC's Special Events in Matasinhos & Cascais. To the thousands of people attending UNOC, I ask that you bring your best ideas for science-based solutions that we may learn from each other in a spirit of partnership & implement SDG14
Happy Mangroves Day! Long may they echo with bird calls & the plop of crabs & mudskippers! Long may they give sanctuary to marine life, protect our coasts & sequester carbon. Today we strengthen our resolve to conserve & restore them, the day we say 'no more' to their destruction
Ocean, Biodiversity & Climate crisis are one and the same. Central challenge is anthropogenic behavior. The urgent action required is a drastic lowering of GHG emissions. COP25 #BLUECOP - TO BE CONTINUED IN GLASGOW - Because the Ocean
A great wave of positive Ocean Action is sweeping around the planet in 2022. First in Nairobi on plastic pollution. Then Bonn on the Ocean-Climate nexus. Now Geneva & WTO's subsidies decision. Next comes UNOC in Lisbon, BBNJ in NYC, & then CBD COP15 & UNFCCC COP28. Ride the wave!
Why Ocean literacy is crucial for leaders of tomorrow woi.economist.com/why-ocean-lite There is a fundamental disconnect between what we know in Ocean science & what the majority of the population knows. If we give people that knowledge, they are going to start making the right decisions.
Samoa commits to preserve 30 percent of its ocean | RNZ News
My favourite World Ocean Day message from yesterday - all the way from the lapping shores of Suva Harbour. The next generation is preparing well to take the baton of Ocean Action.
Wonderful news from the South Atlantic. Thank you to the people & administration of Tristan da Cunha, thank you to UK Govt, to RSPB & partners for this timely gift back to the Ocean. SDG14.6 gets a huge boost from this, as does the Ocean's health. Almost 700,000 km2 protected!
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Today Government and people of #tristandacunha are proud to announce creation of the Tristan da Cunha Marine Protection Zone. Almost 700,00km2 will join UK #BlueBelt of marine protection, becoming the largest no-take zone in the Atlantic and the fourth largest on the planet.
The Ocean is in trouble. We have a plan to save it. Stay faithful to the plan - #SDG14
Two of SDG14’s targets can be achieved in 2020. SDG14.6 calls for an end to harmful fisheries subsidies - the WTO General Council has the power to deliver this in Dec. SDG14.5 calls for conservation of 10% of planet’s marine areas. CCAMLR has the power to deliver this in Oct.
Today's the day to start turning off the plastic tap that's polluting our world.
From our children to our environments we protect the things we love. When you enjoy Ocean's beauty, take a moment to affirm your commitment to protecting its health. Thanks to global warming & excess nutrients, the Ocean is deoxygenating at an alarming rate. GHGs are the nemesis.
UN Ocean Conference, Lisbon 2-6 June, will scale up Ocean Action through science & innovation. Everyone has a stake in it's success. To be there, register now on the Ocean Conference website. APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION CLOSE 10 MARCH - tell your colleagues.
I close the year with a photo of 2 of my granddaughters swimming this week in the blue Pacific. Long may the Ocean protect us! Next week I'll tweet a summary forecast of the unprecedented Ocean year awaiting us in 2022. Until then, give thanks for the year past & Happy New Year.
The sun rises from the Indian Ocean, filling one with hope. The Global Biodiversity Framework! The High Seas Treaty! #WTO bans on harmful fisheries subsidies! But nothing changes until these agreements are ratified by their Parties. Please use all means to speed up ratification.
Everything is connected. From chemical & plastic pollution, to overfishing, habitat loss, ocean warming, death of coral & rising sea levels. All have the same anthropogenic origins, arising from our long record of disrespect of Nature & everything she provides. Huge changes reqd.
The official opening of the UN Ocean Conference is on Monday, but there's plenty on this weekend with the many activities of the Youth Forum getting underway today. Meanwhile I'm up in Matasinhos to speak at today's UNOC Local & Regional Governments special event
We must ask ourselves whether we've been complicit in receiving stolen goods. $23 billion worth of fish is illegally caught every year. It's time to start demanding assurances from our restaurants, retailers and their supply chains in this regard - cf SDG14.4.
The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) must be robust & operable. We must not squander 2022's unparalleled confluence of opportunities for #Ocean Action: WTO Ministerial Council (subsidies removal), UN Ocean Conference, BBNJ, CBD COP15 & UNFCCC COP28. UNEA has shown us the way to consensus.
As a Pacific Islander, I'm proud of the SDG14.5 progress being made amongst the Pacific Islands. Thank you Niue, Samoa and Vanuatu for your recent MPA declarations. These SIDS are showing up the MPA inaction of some of the world's big coastal states. Faafetai. Vinaka vaka levu.
Encouraging words today from HRH The Prince of Wales on removal of harmful fisheries subsidies. The billions of dollars of public funds spent in this misguided way, should instead go to coastal community projects, artisanal fishers & management of marine protected areas. SDG14.6!
No more balloons please. No child wants to be responsible for the death of a seabird, explain that and they won't want a dumb balloon.
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Plastic and rubber balloons are major threat to seabirds.
Study from Tasmania, Australia 
shows balloons causing 42% of plastics related death.
shows balloons causing 42% of plastics related death.
With the UN #OceanConference now formally postponed, many virtual Ocean Action events are in the April-June pipeline. Stay informed & engaged! In the meantime, the Conference co-hosts & UN Secretariat continue diligent preparations for the UN #OceanConference
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UNGA adopted today the decision that postpones the UN #OceanConference to a date to be later determined. @Portugal_UN @KenyaMissionUN remain fully committed to co-hosting the Conference and support ambitious action to #SaveOurOcean
un.org/pga/74/2020/04
2020 Alert: four #SDG14 targets mature this year: - conservation of 10% of coastal/marine areas; removal of harmful #fisheries subsidies; restoration, strengthening & better management of marine ecosystems; & ending of IUU & harmful fishing practices. Have you done all you can?
Behind me in this picture is the Altice Arena on Lisbon's waterfront, the venue for the UN Ocean Conference, 27 June - 1 July. Accompanied by our Portuguese and Kenyan co-hosts, we undertook a site tour yesterday. Happy to report that all is good for the upcoming conference.
I return from IMPAC5 in Vancouver heartened by the determination of ocean activists to establish 30x30 in locations of most relevance to marine biodiversity. I remain deeply concerned re funding of MPAs & the underwhelming global response to the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Massive congratulations to Niue for the formalisation of her massive marine reserve - the 127,000 sq km Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area - we're massively proud of you (that's three massives, but you deserve many more). SDG14.5's 2020 target is achievable. pipap.sprep.org/news/niue-form
Today's IPPC report shows marine heatwaves will increase globally over the 21st century, anthropogenic warming is very likely to further decrease Ocean oxygen concentrations, & with rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, the Ocean will continue to acidify. #COP26 must deliver us!
Spare a thought for the Great Barrier Reef suffering third mass bleaching in five years bbc.co.uk/news/world-aus
Chose promotion of Ocean Literacy for my featured topic to talk on in forthcoming Ocean film by The Economist. The fundamental role of the Ocean is not emphasized in formal education. This must change. Knowledge is power. Support the UN Decade of Ocean Science
Back home in the Navua District of Fiji. Tropical cyclone Sarai has passed by, taking most of our beach with it. Not the first and certainly not the last. Be resilient, be prepared, and be ready to help others in need.
At the UN Ocean Conference, 2-6 June, Lisbon, SDG14.2 will be close considered at the Interactive Dialogue on managing, protecting, conserving & restoring marine & coastal ecosystems. Register now to attend - note 10 March deadline! #OceanAction #SaveOurOcean
Innovation & better sharing of ideas & resources have always been the great strengths of our species when facing crisis. In 2020, the Super Year of our times, innovation will be key. UNDP has launched Ocean Innovation Challenge | UNDP
What is wrong with us? Why do we do disrespect Nature so? Ever since Lockdown eased, our local London park has become festooned with bottle tops, cigarette butts & plastic wrappers. This soil, these streams & trees are what sustain us & all life. We disrespect them at our peril.
Sorry, but I had to tweet this one in favour of SDG14 promotion 🐳🐬🦈🐙🦀🦐🦑(not, I assure you, for purposes of my ego 🙄).
In the face of 2020’s many postponements, the Ocean Action community is responding positively by creating many globally relevant virtual gatherings. Watch this space for news on inclusive events by , & .
Does it have to be like this? Civil aviation needs to get a grip - consumers give single-use plastic the thumbs-down.
Time to end the serious disconnect between scientists, governments & the large transnational corporations that dominate the Ocean economy. aje.io/wscnx via
A healthy #Ocean that supports people & nature is only possible if its resources are not overexploited. A key driver of ocean decline is perverse use of public money in #HarmfulFisheriesSubsidies that boost #overfishing. must act now to end this scourge for good, per #SDG14.
Our growing economic relationship with the #Ocean can't be allowed to be just another linear exploitation of finite planetary resources. The Sustainable Blue Economy stands in respectful balance & harmony with the Ocean, based on principles of circularity & equity. Thank you IUCN
Well met! Great to meet UN President Abdulla Shahid at COP26. He is a wonderful example of leadership from a Small Island Developing States on Climate Change & Ocean Action. I look forward to welcoming him at UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, 27 June - 1 July 2022.
In wishing everyone a meaningful Ocean Day, I make only one plea: that before COP26 in Glasgow, we all familiarise ourselves with what is likely to happen to people & planet after the predicted process of Ocean acidification (cf SROCC) destroys calcium carbonate based marine life
Rest assured that Ocean Action momentum will be maintained during a postponement period. We're all learning to make better use of the Internet for convening & taking positive action. Reversing the decline of the Ocean's health remains a highest priority for humankind. Tabu soro!
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In light of #COVID19 pandemic, @Portugal_UN & @KenyaMissionUN are jointly consulting with @UN on the postponement of the 2020 #UNOceanConference @OceanConference @UNDESA
To all of you fighting the good fight at COP26 to bring GHG emissions under stringent control, my granddaughter Rosie has a message for you. In every negotiation, debate, event you are part of over the next 2 weeks, think of the kids and their cry for intergenerational justice.
Is Climate Change on your mind? If not it should be. Our last best chance to keep the 1.5 degrees target alive, lies in implementing the COP26 Work Programme agreed in Glasgow - to immediately increase mitigation ambition globally, especially by the big emitters.
Honoured in San José today to thank Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado & Foreign Minister Rodolfo Solano for their country's leadership in required action for SDG14. Today's signing of decree for expansion of Cocos marine protection area was a major step for a healthy Ocean
In New York at preparatory meeting for UN Ocean Conference - 2 days of positive contributions by UN Member States & the Ocean Community have just come to a close. Congrats to co-facilitators (PRs of Palau & Denmark), the #UN Secretariat and all participants.
In any #Fijian market you can find ota (nutritious edible ferns) - delicious with coconut coconut, lime & chili. But look at the beautiful biodegradable packaging - banana leaf. 34% of the world's plastic goes uncollected & only 8% is recycled. Think about it.
Deeply honoured, humbled and energized by this gesture of support by the President & Regional Government of Madeira. The Selvagens Islands Marine Protected Area, the North Atlantic’s biggest MPA, is a Madeiran gift to us all in our work to implement SDG14 & make peace with Nature
Climate change is causing tuna to migrate, which could spell economic catastrophe for Small Island Developing States that depend on them theconversation.com/climate-change via
COP25: Take a dive into the Blue COP - Because the Ocean
Ocean health is essential to tackling climate change, and vice versa.
Well done UN Global Compact and the companies which have signed onto the Sustainable Ocean Principles. We all have a role to play in providing the solutions required for SDG14's success by 2030. Great hopes in this regard for the UN Decade of Ocean Science commencing next year!
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Without a healthy ocean, we cannot have a healthy planet, said @ThomsonFiji at the UN @globalcompact #LeadersSummit in conversation with @guyplatten, @HirokoMG & Rolf Thore Roppestad (@Gard_insurance).
Learn how the private sector can take #OceanAction: unglobalcompact.org/take-action/20
Pleased to participate today in OECD’s launch of their “Sustainable Ocean For All” report focused on harnessing the benefits for developing countries. Less than 1% of global ODA in 2013-18 went to sustainable ocean economies in developing countries. Time for a change!
One of the Interactive Dialogues of the UN Ocean Conference (Lisbon, 2-6 June) will deliberate on strengthening sustainable Ocean-based economies. To be there, register now on the Ocean Conference website (applications for registration close 10 March).
Save the Date folks! We’re assembling a global posse of leadership, insight & expertise to address this subject. In spite of progress to date, SDG14 is still not receiving the investment required to fully succeed. On 10 Nov we’ll examine how to turn that around. See you there.
No healthy planet without a healthy Ocean & the Ocean’s health is in decline. Since the Ocean ultimately determines the survival of our species, increased political will & greater attention to science will be needed. Support the UN Decade of Ocean Science!
"I need the sea because it teaches me, I don't know if I learn music or awareness, if it's a single wave or it's vast existence ... The fact is that until I fall asleep, in some magnetic way I move in the university of the waves." - Pablo Neruda
Bahut dhanyavaad! 1st donation to UN Trust Fund for costs of PGA's Office 71st Session given by Govt of India today.
“Seaweed aquaculture delivers a broad range of ecosystem services, providing a source of food & natural products across a range of industries. It also offers a versatile, nature-based solution for climate change mitigation & adaptation.” Seaweed looms large in our future.
Through these long pandemic days, witness to the suffering, the compassion & sacrifice, I send thanks to all of you, whatever your field, working to maintain Ocean action & keep us true to SDG14. More power to y'all, dear colleagues. Tabu soro - no surrender.
SDG14.4 calls upon us to effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing. In this regard, in my address to the recent Nor-Fishing conference, I called for more attention on, and support for, the work and responsibilities of RFMOs.
Exercising due courtesy & my current no-handshake policy in meeting Norway's State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Jens Frølich Holte, in Oslo today. Good discussions on fortifying 2020 Ocean Action in the lead-up to, during, & after UNOC, Lisbon, 2-6 June.
Here's a challenge to us no-single-use-plastic campaigners: how to replace plastic bags in the fish markets of developing countries with affordable biodegradable alternatives? Currently single-user plastic bags are pervasive & are sadly discarded in the Ocean.
On a visit to Portugal this week, I was delighted to observe that Lisbon is in very good heart for next year's UN Ocean Conference. Based on science, innovation and partnerships, I'm confident UNOC will again take us to a higher level of Ocean Action and SDG14 implementation.
Please watch this video & then ask yourself what you, your family, your school, office, corporation, city or country are doing to prepare for participation in the Decade of Ocean Science. The Decade can give us the foundations we need for achievement of SDG14 & a healthy planet.
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"A healthy ocean is essential for our well-being on this planet." -- Special Envoy for the Ocean @ThomsonFiji
Our ocean, our future. Time to clean up the mess we have made and #SaveOurOcean. @IocUnesco
With the postponement of the UN Ocean Conference, #WEF & Friends of Ocean Action have organised the Virtual Ocean Dialogues, 1-5 June. Register now (see below) to play a part in maintaining the momentum for SDG14's implementation. No surrender, compañeros!
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The @wef and the @FriendsofOcean are organising and hosting the first-ever virtual global ocean conference for ocean action - The Virtual Ocean Dialogues (1 to 5 June 2020) is open to everybody. Register here: weforum.org/events/virtual #OceanDialogues #OceanAction #SDG14
SDG14.6 - prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies. Correct the madness that sees governments providing public monies to subsidize industrial fleets to go out there and chase diminishing stocks of fish. Some subsidies even indirectly enable illegal fishing.
Yet another great reason to conserve & restore #mangrove forests - beekeeping in the mangroves at Kwetu Training Centre nr Mombasa, #Kenya . Heartened to observe today many practical training streams being followed at Kwetu, including sustainable #aquaculture
Joined Portugal's Minister of Sea and Indonesia's Minister of Fisheries this morning at High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Ocean-based climate action can play an immense role in shrinking the world's carbon footprint.
Here in Lisbon on World Ocean Day I send greetings to all who are working to reverse the cycle of decline in which the Ocean's health is caught. Stay true to the SDG14 targets, double down in your efforts, and in the name of intergenerational justice, never give up.
Honoured to be received in New York today by President of #UN General Assembly, H.E. Abdulla Shahid. His commitment to improving humankind's relationship with #Nature is inspiring for us all. #Climate change, #biodiversity loss and ocean's declining health all have common cause.
I look forward to briefing Member States in the UN General Assembly, in person in New York on 1 June, on the subject of SDG14’s implementation.
Looking forward to a vibrant week (1-5 June) for Ocean Action, with innovation, good science and practical solutions at the forefront of the Virtual #OceanDialogues - as well as the main sessions, I'll be sitting in on as many "Deep Dives" as I can fit in.
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Starting tomorrow! Tune in to Virtual #OceanDialogues for talks w/ a wide range of leaders from government, public sector, business, science, tech, youth, civil society, media & more who care about the #ocean & #OceanAction. Livestreamed: wef.ch/oceandialogues @FriendsofOcean
#Ocean's troubles come mainly from our GHG emissions. Ocean-Climate nexus is inseparable #ClimateAction #GlobalGoals
Boom-boom! Drum-roll for the 2020 UN Ocean Conference was heard in Maputo this morning. Boom-boom! Conference will be held 2-6 June 2020 in Lisbon, co-hosted by Govts of Portugal & Kenya. Boom-boom! Scale up Ocean science, innovation, partnership & investment.
Deepest thanks due to the many contributing scientists, and to IUCN & Govt of Sweden for release of the Ocean Deoxgenation report. This report joins those of IPCC & IPBES as stark witness to the need for 2020 to be the "Super Year" for a new deal for Nature.
#COP26 must result in all UNFCCC workstreams & constituted bodies integrating Ocean action into their work, with outcomes of action presented in relevant reports, inclusion of Ocean in the global stocktake, & SBSTA Chair continuing to hold Ocean-Climate Dialogue on regular basis
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Ocean experts have written this excellent scientific brief on why the #Ocean matters in #Climate Change. The brief suggests positive actions nations can take in the countdown to #COP26.
bit.ly/2VyJLkx
#climatechange #planet #SDG14 #sustainability
@ThomsonFiji @UN
Let’s hear it for seaweed! “By farming just 2 per cent of the Ocean, we could provide enough protein to feed a world population of 12 billion people. Seaweed is extremely protein rich, low in fat, low in carbohydrates, and rich in vitamins, zinc and iron”.
Wonderful news from Scotland! SDG14.5 to protect 10% of the Ocean before 2020 just took a big step closer to our goal.
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Natural Environment Minister @MairiGougeon has today announced the creation of Europe’s largest Marine Protected Area. It means that more than 30% of Scotland’s seas are now protected.
To find out more 
bit.ly/3cvwMDU
youtube.com/watch?v=ENTtmU
bit.ly/3cvwMDU
youtube.com/watch?v=ENTtmUProgress in Geneva on firming up WTO text to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies. Based on SDG14.6, the world expects this to be a done deal by June. We must stop the madness of subsidised fishing fleets out there catching diminishing stocks of fish.
