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STORY: UN / OCEAN CONFERENCE PRESSER
TRT: 01:46
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 01 JUNE 2017, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
01 JUNE 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, United Nations:
“The high aim for this Ocean Conference is this will be the moment in history where we put that cycle of decline into reverse and start restoring the ocean’s integrity. Why is that so important to us? You know, every second breathe you take comes from ocean-produced oxygen. Without a healthy ocean we’re in deep trouble; whether it’s food, whether it’s our climate, we have to have the integrity for the ocean, the source of life.”
4. Wide shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, United Nations:
“You know whatever the US Government decides today, the good news is that the great mass of humanity, including American citizens by indications of the polls, and the great mass of international governments are committed to these two great agreements that were put in place in 2015; and which are the only way that we can have some confidence about the security of our grandchildren. So I think selfishness and altruism will win through.”
6. Wide shot, Thomson and Wu at dais
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations:
“If you drop a plastic bottle anywhere near your sea, it may end up in some other places. So all these seas and oceans are connected; so regional or individual action seems very weak. We need global solutions to the global challenge.”
8. Wide shot, WU and Thomson speaking to journalists
The President of the UN General Assembly (GA), Peter Thomson, said the high aim for the next weeks Ocean Conference is for it to be the moment in history where we put the “cycle of decline” humanity has caused “into reverse and start restoring the ocean’s integrity.”
Speaking to journalists today (01 Jun) in New York, Thomson said the ocean was in trouble due to everything from marine pollution to over-fishing, all of which were problems created by humanity, and therefore it is for us to find solutions to these problems. He added the conference will focus on making sure that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which deals with oceans’ conservation, is proceeding in a positive way to meet its target. Thomson said, “Every second breathe you take comes from ocean-produced oxygen. Without a healthy ocean we’re in deep trouble; whether it’s food, whether it’s our climate, we have to have the integrity for the ocean, the source of life.”
The GA President said people were “selfish” about their children’s and grandchildren’s future which pushed the international community to adopt the SDGs and the Paris agreement in 2015. This is why “whatever the US Government decides today” regarding the Paris agreement, Thomson said “the good news is that the great mass of humanity, including American citizens by indications of the polls, and the great mass of international governments are committed to these two great agreements” which represent “the only way that we can have some confidence about the security of our grandchildren.”
Secretary-General of the Ocean Conference, Wu Hongbo, said member states have already reached consensus on the final text of the conference which will include 22 specific actions to be taken. He said climate change is an undeniable fact and climate change action taken by the international community is unstoppable. Wu said from the UN’s point of view the massive body of water which covers over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. He added, “If you drop a plastic bottle anywhere near your sea, it may end up in some other places. So all these seas and oceans are connected; so regional or individual action seems very weak. We need global solutions to the global challenge.”
The Ocean Conference is set to take place next week between the 5th and the 9th of June, coinciding with World Environment Day (05 Jun) and World Oceans Day (08 Jun). It will be attended by over 5000 people representing difference sectors, including some 80 high-level government officials. Over 500 voluntary commitments have been made on the Conference’s website so far, and Thomson said he expected that number to double by the end of the conference.
