Statement On Agenda Item A.l.25: Oceans and the Law of the Sea

Mr. President,

My delegation has the honor to co-sponsor the resolution entitled "Oceans and the law of the sea" just introduced by Brazil. We also have the honor to introduce, on behalf of the co-sponsors, Resolution A57/L.49 concerning a number of fisheries issues, and resolution A/57/L.50 concerning the UN Fish Stocks Agreement.

I am also pleased to inform you that there are additional co-sponsors to these fisheries resolutions. Additional co-sponsors for both fisheries resolutions are Malta, Monaco, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. With respect to A/57/L.50, an additional co-sponsor is Uruguay. We commend these two resolutions for adoption by consensus.

We see the resolutions before us today as a thoughtful and balanced assemblage of current oceans issues drawn from the priorities and interests of member states. The resolutions are not all-inclusive, but they represent consensus on ways to tackle many of the challenges we face in making the oceans safe and healthy environments for sustainable development.

The United States would like to express gratitude to all the delegations that reviewed texts and concepts, offered suggestions, and worked in a spirit of cooperation. We especially appreciate the assistance of other delegations to Colin McIff, the U.S. delegate who coordinated negotiations of the two fisheries resolutions. We would also like to thank Marcel Biato of Brazil and Julian Vassallo of Malta for their skillful leadership of the discussions on the oceans resolution. In addition, we acknowledge the Secretariat's Division for Oceans Affairs and the Law of the Sea for its dedicated work and support throughout the year. Along with New Zealand's Ambassador Don MacKay and his High-Level Committee, DOALOS organized yesterday's splendid events commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Opening for Signature of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Mr. President,

The United States believes that ratifying and carrying out international fisheries management agreements is an important tool in protecting international fish stocks, promoting sustainable use of living marine resources, and providing food security.

We are pleased that the importance of implementation and the means to build capacity for better management are emphasized in both of the fisheries resolutions before us today.

A year ago the UN Fish Stocks Agreement entered into force, a real milestone for international fisheries management and for implementation of UNCLOS. The United States believes that the Fish Stocks Agreement is a significant adjunct to UNCLOS. We urge all States to become parties to the Fish Stocks Agreement as well as to the FAO Compliance Agreement. We look forward to participating in the second informal consultation between States Parties to the Fish Stocks Agreement. We are also pleased that next year we can look forward to a single fisheries resolution, a format we believe will reflect and facilitate a more unified approach to fisheries issues at the UN.

Mr. President,

This year included another international milestone, the successful World Summit on Sustainable Development -- WSSD. The Plan of Implementation agreed at the WSSD is ambitious in its breadth of topics and scope of activities. The United States welcomes the steps taken in the two fisheries resolutions and the oceans resolution that begin implementation of the WSSD plan.

The WSSD plan calls on the world community to establish, by 2004, a regular United Nations process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, based on existing regional assessments. This oceans resolution responds by taking the first step: requesting the Secretary General -- in close consultation with member states and relevant United Nations programs and agencies -- to present an implementing proposal to the next session of the General Assembly. The United States looks forward to consulting with the Secretariat on issues such as how to make the best use of the existing expertise of the "Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP)," the most appropriate role for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the convening of an intergovernmental meeting.

The WSSD plan calls on the world community to elaborate regional programs of action and improve links with strategic plans for the sustainable development of coastal and marine resources. The oceans resolution before us similarly calls upon States to develop national, regional, and international programs for halting the loss of marine biodiversity. The United States welcomes this emphasis on integrated, regional approaches to oceans issues. In this context, we would like to bring to this body's attention the "White Water to Blue Water" oceans partnership initiative currently being planned for the Caribbean.

"White Water to Blue Water" aims for an integrated approach to the management of freshwater watersheds and marine ecosystems. Its focus will be practical and results- driven. The initiative will strive to improve cooperation and capacity on the national and regional level, and to promote public-private partnerships between and among governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. "White Water to Blue Water" begins in the Wider Caribbean Region in 2003.

We hope it might serve as a successful model for similar efforts in other regions of the world. The oceans resolution before us today continues the practice of informal UN consultations on oceans issues. We welcome this decision, look forward to future discussions, and expect our collective experiences and ideas to continue strengthening this body's understanding and consideration of critical oceans issues. As we explore topics that may not have been foreseen 20 years ago, we expect to be able to find solutions within the applicable juridical framework.

The United States also looks forward to the collective efforts to establish an inter-agency coordination mechanism on oceans and coastal issues within the United Nations system. We support the goals that have been articulated for this mechanism -among others, transparency, effectiveness, responsiveness, inclusiveness, clarity of mandate, cooperativeness, and liaison with regional organizations -- and we realize that achieving these goals will require continued effort over time.

Before closing, it seems appropriate to reference the many important areas currently being addressed by the International Maritime Organization, the IMO. From ballast water and other threats to the marine environment, to the suppression of unlawful acts against navigation, to countering the threat of terrorism, the IMO is steadily facilitating global understandings and guidelines. The United States fully endorses the calls in this oceans resolution to support various aspects of the work of the IMO.

Mr. President,

Yesterday we had the good fortune to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the completion of UNCLOS. As we conclude our deliberations on this year's oceans and fisheries resolutions, we might ask ourselves what achievements we want to celebrate in the year 2022. Will we be able to hand our children seas that are alive with fish?  Will we better understand the impact of our oceans on the Earth's climate?  Will we have in place national, regional, and global practices that minimize the impacts of waste and pollutants on the global oceans?  Will we have achieved a fair and consistent balance between the multiple uses we ask of our global seas?

It is a cliche to say that oceans issues are inherently global issues. Nonetheless, this basic tenet remains sound, and this organization, this body, is one of the forums where we can work together on behalf of our oceans. The three resolutions before us today, which set out joint goals that we all can support and implement, are steps in the right direction.

Thank you, Mr. President.