7 December 2001: The Global Conference on Oceans and Coasts at Rio+10: Toward the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, took place from 3-7 December 2001 at the Headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France.

The Conference, which was originally initiated by NGOs, was co-organized by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the University of Delaware’s Center for the Study of Marine Policy (CSMP), with the support of numerous international and national organizations involved or interested in oceans-related issues. The Conference was attended by more than 400 participants from over 60 countries, including 13 ministers and vice-ministers and ocean experts from governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), NGOs, academic and scientific institutions, and industry.

Conference participants sought to: provide an overall assessment of progress achieved on oceans and coasts in the ten years since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio; identify new and continuing challenges; examine cross-cutting issues among various ocean and coastal sectors; consider options for concerted action on outstanding cross-sectoral issues; and provide recommendations for the WSSD on oceans and coasts issues.

The Conference was organized into 17 panels, with presentations on selected topics followed by discussion periods. Eight Working Groups composed of NGO, IGO and government representatives also met in morning, lunchtime and evening sessions throughout the week to assess information presented by the panels and prepare recommendations on: harmonization of international agreements; targeting of donor aid; assessment and management of the marine environment; marine biodiversity and protected areas; integrated ocean and coastal management; sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; regional and small island perspectives; and capacity building.

Outputs from the proceedings were contained in a Co-Chairs’ Draft Concluding Statement and Working Group Draft Reports, which were subsequently developed into a Co-Chairs’ Summary to be presented in January 2002 to the WSSD PrepCom II. Future planned outputs also include a volume on ministerial perspectives presented at the Conference and several volumes and journals of position papers submitted to the Conference.

The IISD RS Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/sd/ocrio+10/