Oceans and the law of the sea
A/RES/74/19
personnel from developing countries in relevant programmes, initiatives and
activities;
287. Notes with concern that human-related threats, such as marine debris, ship
strikes, underwater noise, persistent contaminants, coastal development activities, oil
spills and discarded fishing gear, together may severely impact marine life, including
its higher trophic levels, and calls upon States and competent international
organizations to cooperate and coordinate their research efforts in this regard so as to
reduce these impacts and preserve the integrity of the whole marine ecosystem, while
fully respecting the mandates of relevant international organizations;
288. Invites all relevant organizations, funds, programmes and bodies within
the United Nations system, in consultation with interested States, to coordinate
relevant activities with regional and national marine scientific and technological
centres in small island developing States, as appropriate, to ensure the more effective
achievement of their objectives in accordance with relevant United Nations small
island developing States development programmes and strategies;
289. Welcomes the resolution adopted by the Assembly of the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at its twenty-eighth session, held in
Paris from 18 to 25 June 2015, regarding the adoption of the Second International
Indian Ocean Expedition as an important catalyst project linking Indian Ocean
processes to the global ocean and atmosphere, officially launched in Goa, India, on
4 December 2015 for an initial period of five years, invites States to participate in
this initiative, and notes that two nodes of the Second International Indian Ocean
Expedition Joint Project Office have been established to coordinate operations of the
expedition in Perth, Australia, and Hyderabad, India;
290. Notes with appreciation the work of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, with the advice of the Advisory Body of Experts on the Law of the Sea,
on the development of procedures for the implementation of Parts XIII and XIV of
the Convention;
291. Notes that the depth of a significant percentage of the world ’s oceans, seas
and waterways has yet to be measured directly and that bathymetric knowledge
underpins the safe, sustainable and cost-effective execution of almost every human
activity in, on or under the sea;
292. Welcomes the work of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans project
under the International Hydrographic Organization and the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission and, in particular, the outcome of the Forum for Future
Ocean Floor Mapping, held in June 2016 in Monaco, and the subsequent development
by the Guiding Committee of the Seabed 2030 project for improving bathymetry
globally;
293. Encourages Member States to consider contributing to mechanisms that
encourage the widest possible availability of all bathymetric data, so as to support the
sustainable development, management and governance of the marine environment;
294. Notes with appreciation the contribution to marine biodiversity research
of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, a free and open -access data holding
and sharing facility, hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission;
295. Welcomes the increasing attention being focused on oceans as a potential
source of renewable energy, and notes in this regard the summary of discussions of
the Informal Consultative Process at its thirteenth meeting, in 2012; 126
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19-21313
See A/67/120.
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