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UN-OCEANS compilation of lead and participating agency responsibilities
in meeting the objectives of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(in preparation).
Organizational
Chart of the United Nations System
NOTE: The information presented on this UN-OCEANS web-site is under development. None of the information presented here has been approved by the Partners of UN-OCEANS. March 9, 2005.
Agency
Programmes
Who does what within the U.N. system for oceans and coastal area issues
?
Departments of the U.N. Secretariat
Division
for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UN-DOALOS) of the Office
of Legal Affairs has consistently been recognized for its role in contributing
to the wider acceptance and rational and consistent application of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea. Its mandate, as spelled out by the General Assembly
of the United Nations and in the Secretary-General's Bulletin, is to carry
out the responsibilities entrusted to the Secretary-General upon the adoption
of the Convention and fulfill the functions associated with its entry
into force. More specifically, the Division monitors developments in all
relevant areas in order to report annually to the General Assembly on
matters relating to the law of the sea and ocean affairs. Further, it
formulates recommendations to the Assembly and other intergovernmental
forums aimed at promoting a better understanding of the Convention, and
ensures that the Organization has the capacity to respond to requests
for advice and assistance from States in the implementation of the Convention.
The Division serves as the secretariat of the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea and provides information, advice and assistance
to States with a view to promoting a better understanding of the Convention
and the related Agreements, their wider acceptance, uniform and consistent
application and effective implementation. Since 1999, the Division
has serviced the meetings of the United Nations
Open-ended informal consultative process on oceans and the law of the
sea established by the General Assembly in its resolution
54/33 in order to facilitate its annual review, in an effective and constructive
manner, of developments in ocean affairs by considering the Secretary-General’s
annual reports on oceans and the law of the sea and by suggesting particular
issues to be considered by the General Assembly. The Division also provides
secretariat services to the Meetings of States Parties to the Convention
and to the Commission on the Limits of the
Continental Shelf. The Division maintains and routinely
updates a comprehensive information system
and reference library on the law of the sea and ocean affairs,
including databases on ocean-related legislative materials, national profiles
and marine mineral resources. As part of its continuing effort to promote
understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
its wider acceptance, uniform and consistent application, and effective
implementation, the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
has undertaken educational and training programmes aimed at capacity building
at the national level and the regional levels, for the purpose of achieving
these goals. The Division's educational activities are carried out primarily
under the Hamilton Shirley Memorial Fellowship Programme, and its training
activities under the TRAIN-SEA-COAST Programme, as well as the Technical
Cooperation Trust Fund Agreement Between the United Nations and the Nippon
Foundation of Japan.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Mr Vladimir Golitsyn, Director, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law
of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations.
Department
of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) - The Division for Sustainable
Development of UN-DESA promotes sustainable
development as the substantive secretariat to the UN Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD) and through technical cooperation and
capacity building at international, regional and national levels. (see
UN-OCEANS compilation for ocean and coastal area issues in WSSD).
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Ms Anne H. Rogers, Division for Sustainable Development, Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations.
U.N. Programmes and Funds
United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - UNDP is the UN’s global
development network, an organization advocating for change
and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. UNDP's focus is helping countries build and
share solutions to the challenges of Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction,
Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and Environment,
and HIV/AIDS. UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Mr Andrew Hudson, Principal Technical Advisor, International Waters/POPs,
Global Environment Facility, UN Development Programme.
United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - UNEP's mission is to provide
leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment
by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their
quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Activities
in marine and coastal areas include the Global Programme of Action for
the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land Based Activities, the Global International
Waters Assessment, the Small Island Developing States Network,
the International Coral Reef Action Network, the World Conservation Monitoring
Center, Earthwatch, and Regional Seas Conventions.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Ms Veerle Vandeweerd, GPA Coordinator and Head Regional Seas GPA Coordination
Office, United Nations Environment Programme.
U.N. Specialized Agencies
Food
and Agricultural Organization (FAO)- The mission of the Fisheries
Department of FAO is to facilitate and secure the long-term sustainable
development and utilization of the world’s fisheries
and aquaculture. FAO is acutely aware of the fundamental
social and economic role played by the fisheries
sector in meeting global and national sustainable food
security, providing self and paid employment for fishing communities as
a means of alleviating poverty in fishing communities and stemming rural/urban
drift, contributing to national and international trade, and generating
national income. Underpinning these basic social and economic objectives
is the requirement for fisheries and aquaculture
to be responsibly managed. The Fisheries Department therefore
provides, on the request of Members, technical
assistance in all aspects of fisheries and aquaculture
management and development.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Mr Serge Garcia, Director, Fishery Resources Division, Fisheries Department,
FAO.
United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization / Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC) - The Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO provides Member States of the United
Nations with an essential mechanism for global
cooperation in the study of the ocean, with programs that
focus on marine environmental protection,
ecosystem dynamics, climate change, global observing systems, data and
information management, coastal area management, and disaster management.
Through the Joint IOC/WMO Technical Commission for Oceanography
and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) it coordinates and manages the implementation
of an operational ocean observing system in support of the Global
Ocean Observing system (GOOS) and the Global
Climate Observing system (GCOS) in
support of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Mr Patricio Bernal, Assistant Director-General UNESCO, Executive Secretary,
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
World
Bank (WB) - The World Bank Group’s mission is to fight poverty
and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It
is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance
and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce
poverty. Reducing poverty through sustainable
development is a global strategic priority for the survival
of our planet. For the World Bank this means dealing with the comprehensive
nature of development. This approach is reflected in the implementation
of projects and programs in partnership with the public and private sectors,
and civil society. Participation, empowerment, strengthened institutions,
environmental protection and conservation,
and focus on the rural poor are all foundations for sustained and inclusive
economic growth.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Ms Marea E. Hatziolos, Senior Coastal and Marine Specialist, Environment
Department, The World Bank
International
Maritime Organization (IMO) - The IMO is the UN Specialized Agency
responsible for improving maritime safety
and preventing pollution from
ships. The
most important convention regulating and preventing marine pollution by
ships is the IMO International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships, which covers accidental and operational
oil pollution as well as pollution
by chemicals, goods in packaged form, sewage, garbage and air pollution.
The International Convention on Oil Pollution
Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) provides
a global framework for international co-operation in combating major incidents
or threats of marine pollution. A protocol to this convention (HNS Protocol)
covers marine pollution by hazardous and noxious
substances. IMO also has Secretariat responsibilities for
the Convention on the Prevention of Marine
Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (LDC),
generally known as the London Convention.
UN-OCEANS Representative:
Mr Jean-Claude Sainlos, Director, Marine Environment Division, International
Maritime Organization.
World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) -
WMO is the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology
(weather and climate), operational hydrology and related
geophysical sciences. The Joint
IOC/WMO Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM)
coordinates and manages the implementation of an operational ocean observing
system in support of the Global Ocean Observing system (GOOS) and the
Global Climate Observing system (GCOS) in
support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The WMO - ICSU - UNESCO/IOC World
Climate Research Programme is directed to provide scientifically
founded quantitative answers to the questions being raised on climate
and the range of natural climate variability, as well as to establish
the basis for predictions of global and regional
climatic variations and of changes in the frequency and
severity of extreme events. WMO
also provides the global infrastructure that develops and delivers products
and services, which are critical for the development of international,
regional and national natural disaster risk management and response strategies.
UN-OCEANS Representative: Mr Georgi I. Kortchev, Director, Applications
Programme Department, World Meteorological Organization.
Related
Organizations
International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory
(IAEA-MEL) in Monaco was established in 1961 as part of the IAEA's Department
of Research and Isotopes and is the only marine
laboratory within the UN system. The promotion of nuclear
and isotopic techniques and the improved understanding
of marine radioactivity are central to the Laboratory's work carried out
in the framework of the IAEA's Programme H - Marine Environment, Water
Resources and Industry. Marine environmental
protection is the fundamental objective of IAEA-MEL’s
modus operandi and its international function results in its involvement
at the forefront of major world issues across a broad environmental spectrum.
UN-OCEANS
Representative: Mr Fauzi Mantoura, Director,Marine Environment Laboratory,
Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic
Energy Agency.
Related
Conventions (U.N. and non-U.N.) Secretariats
International
Seabed Authority (ISA) - The International Seabed Authority is
an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement relating
to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea. The Authority is the organization through which States
Parties to the Convention shall, in accordance with the regime for the
seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof
beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established
in Part XI and the Agreement, organize and
control activities in the Area, particularly with a view
to administering the resources of the Area.
UN-OCEANS
Representative: Mr Satya Nandan, Secretary-General, International Seabed
Authority.
Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) - Conceived as a practical tool
for translating the principles of UNCED Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention
recognizes that biological diversity
is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems
– it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh
air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to
live. In view of their common concern for the conservation and sustainable
use of marine and coastal biodiversity,
the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on a program
of action for implementing the Convention. The programme, called "Jakarta
Mandate on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity" was adopted in
1995. Through its programme of work the Convention focuses on integrated
marine and coastal area management, the sustainable use of living resources,
marine and coastal protected areas, mariculture and alien species.
UN-OCEANS
Representative: Ms Marjo Vierros, Programme Officer - Marine and Coastal
Biological Diversity, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.