A/RES/57/261 Underlining the importance of the ongoing work of the working group on climate change and natural disasters established by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction, Bearing in mind the heavy reliance of most of the Caribbean economies on their coastal areas, as well as on the marine environment in general, to achieve their sustainable development needs and goals, Recognizing the Caribbean Environment Outlook process currently being undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme, and welcoming the support being provided by the Caribbean Environment Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme towards its implementation, Acknowledging that the intensive use of the Caribbean Sea for maritime transport, as well as the considerable number and interlocking character of the maritime areas under national jurisdiction where Caribbean countries exercise their rights and duties under international law, present a challenge for the effective management of the resources, Noting the problem of marine pollution caused, inter alia, by land-based sources and the continuing threat of pollution from ship-generated waste and sewage as well as from the accidental release of hazardous and noxious substances in the Caribbean Sea area, Taking note of resolutions GC(44)/RES/17 of 22 September 2000 11 and GC(46)RES/9 of 20 September 2002 12 of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency on safety of transport of radioactive materials, Mindful of the diversity and dynamic interaction and competition among socio-economic activities for the use of the coastal areas and the marine environment and their resources, Mindful also of the efforts of the Caribbean countries to address in a more holistic manner the sectoral issues relating to the management of the Caribbean Sea area and, in so doing, to promote an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development, through a regional cooperative effort among Caribbean countries, Noting the efforts of the Caribbean countries, within the framework of the Association of Caribbean States, to develop further support for their concept of the Caribbean Sea as an area of special importance, in the context of sustainable development and in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Welcoming the decision by the Association of Caribbean States to establish the Working Group of Experts on the Caribbean Sea Initiative to further advance the implementation of resolution 55/203, inter alia, through the preparation of a technical report, Cognizant of the importance of the Caribbean Sea to present and future generations and its importance to the heritage and the continuing economic wellbeing and sustenance of people living in the area, and the urgent need for the _______________ 11 See International Atomic Energy Agency, Resolutions and Other Decisions of the General Conference, Forty-fourth Regular Session, 18–22 September 2000 (GC(44)/RES/DEC(2000)). 12 Ibid., Forty-sixth Regular Session, 16–20 September 2002 (GC(46)/RES/DEC(2002)). 3