CSG Patricia Scotland addresses UNOC2022 on significance of ocean

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland delivered a statement on the significance of Ocean on the planet at UNOC2022, the United Nations Ocean Conference.

At the starting of the day, she delivered the Commonwealth statement at the plenary of the UN Ocean Conference, UNOC2022.

Her address was based on, the Ocean is the most precious, life-giving natural wonder of our planet. But it is undervalued, under-researched and recklessly exploited. Scotland noted, “We must right this wrong.”

The Commonwealth includes 2.5 billion people, spread across 5 continents & 6 basins of one shared ocean.

49 of our 56 member countries border the sea, including 25 SIDS or large ocean states. More than 1/3 of the ocean under national jurisdiction is in the Commonwealth SDG14 on the ocean remains the least funded of all SDGs.

Along with this, ocean projects account for only 2 percent of the Green Climate Fund, 1.6 percent of official development assistance, 0.56 percent of all SDG philanthropic funding from 2016 and 0.01 percent of all SDG funding from development finance until 2019.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM2022 in the previous week, she mentioned in the statement that, “We launched our new Commonwealth BlueCharter Project Incubator – the first designed to assist Governments. We aim to incubate at least 30 country-led ocean projects.”

“What we need now is partnership.”

Furthermore, she said, “I call on everyone – from governments & international organisations to NGOs, businesses & philanthropists – to dig deeper. It is only by joining hands that we can build a healthier, more resilient, more prosperous & more beautiful blue future – for the Commonwealth & everyone.”

In the course of the day, Scotland took part in a number of events where she discussed the value of the ocean and suggested methods to protect the resource.