Oceans and the law of the sea A/RES/74/19 195. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States committed themselves to protect and restore the health, productivity and resilience of oceans and marine ecosystems, to maintain their biodiversity, enabling their conservation and sustainable use for present and future generations, and to effectively apply an ecosystem approach and the precautionary approach in the management, in accordance with international law, of activities having an impact on the marine environment, to deliver on all three dimensions of sustainable development; 196. Reaffirms paragraph 119 of resolution 61/222 of 20 December 2006 regarding ecosystem approaches and oceans, including the proposed elements of an ecosystem approach, means to achieve implementation of an ecosystem approach and requirements for improved application of an ecosystem approach, and in this regard: (a) Notes that continued environmental degradation in many parts of the world and increasing competing demands require an urgent response and the setting of priorities for management actions aimed at conserving ecosystem integrity; (b) Also notes that ecosystem approaches to ocean management should be focused on managing human activities in order to maintain and, where needed, restore ecosystem health to sustain goods and environmental services, provide social and economic benefits for food security, sustain livelihoods in support of international development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 85 and conserve marine biodiversity; (c) Recalls that States should be guided in the application of ecosystem approaches by a number of existing instruments, in particular the Convention, which sets out the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas, and its implementing Agreements, as well as other commitments, such as those contained in the Convention on Biological Diversity 86 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development call for the application of an ecosystem approach by 2010, 22 and in this context encourages States to enhance their efforts towards applying such an approach; (d) Encourages States to cooperate and coordinate their efforts and take, individually or jointly, as appropriate, all measures, in conformity with international law, including the Convention and other applicable inst ruments, to address impacts on marine ecosystems within and beyond areas of national jurisdiction, taking into account the integrity of the ecosystems concerned; 197. Encourages competent organizations and bodies that have not yet done so to incorporate an ecosystem approach into their mandates, as appropriate, in order to address impacts on marine ecosystems; 198. Acknowledges the request by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its second session, in paragraph 6 of its resolution 2/10 of 27 May 2016, to the United Nations Environment Programme to step up its work, including through its Regional Seas Programme, on assisting countries and regions in the application of the ecosystem approach to managing the marine and coastal environment, including through enabling intersectoral cooperation in integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning; 87 199. Encourages States, directly or through competent international organizations, to consider the further development and application, as appropriate and consistent with international law, including the Convention, of environmental impact assessment processes covering planned activities under their jurisdiction or control __________________ 85 86 87 19-21313 Resolution 55/2. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619. See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 25 (A/71/25), annex. 33/57