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Happy World Oceans Day. We are excited to report that the Weather Channel has produced a feature that highlights the GPO partners and need for urgent ocean action. Please take a look. In addition, we are excited to release this short video about the GPO Blue Ribbon Panel. Please read on for recent and upcoming events that are building momentum to the Global Summit in The Hague in September.
Caribbean Challenge Initiative
We were pleased to be involved at the Leadership Summit for the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI). Regional political leaders, Chief Executive Officers and Ministers of Environment convened from May 17-18 in the British Virgin Islands to make commitments for the management and protection of the Caribbean region’s marine and coastal resources. Leaders discussed the importance of coastal and marine health for the future of food security and jobs associated with tourism and fisheries industries. The World Bank’s Oceans Representative, Angus Friday, presented the goals of the GPO and brought attention to the GPO’s close collaboration with the Caribbean Challenge Initiative. The event was co-sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. For more information about the event or the CCI please visit their site.
Interim Working Group meeting and Framework Document
The Interim Working Group convened for their fifth virtual meeting to advise on the design of the GPO. They made recommendations on the partnership arrangements for the GPO and the next steps to finalize the Framework Document. This document describes the design of the partnership, what it will do and how it will work. Based on the comments received from partners to date and the guidance of the Interim Working Group, the final draft of the Framework Document should be circulated by end of June or early July. Of course this will not be fixed in stone, but a sufficient basis for the partnership to open for business in September. The latest draft of the Framework Document is available on the website. Minutes of this meeting will be available with all previous meetings on the GPO website.
GPO Media Breakfast
Over the coming months, we are working to create opportunities for journalists and bloggers to become acquainted with the GPO and our objectives. We are planning media events in key locations with the first event on June 5 in Washington, DC. Journalists and bloggers attended an informal breakfast at the National Press Club with panelists Valerie Hickey of The World Bank, Lelei LeLaulu of the GPO interim secretariat, Brett Jenks of Rare, Kate Brown of GLISPA, and Mike Crispino of ISSF. The event was timed to coincide with World Oceans Day on June 8. We hope to bring more attention to the important connections between ocean health, food security and poverty alleviation in the media. The Weather Channel covered the event and collected interviews with several GPO participants for a segment on World Oceans Day, June 8. Thank you to our participating partners and we look forward to developing similar opportunities in other locations.
Asia Conference on Oceans
The Asia Conference on Oceans in Bali, Indonesia is scheduled from June 18-21. The conference is being co-sponsored by the Government of Indonesia and the Government of the Netherlands. The conference brings together regional stakeholders who will provide input on policy recommendations for the region. Outcomes will be presented at the Summit in The Hague hosted by the Government of the Netherlands in September. The conference is linked with two other meetings in Bali at that time: 1) Indian Ocean Pacific Asia Conference and 2) Marine and Fisheries Investment Forum. Members of the GPO Blue Ribbon Panel will report on the panel’s goals and agenda.
Blue Ribbon Panel Second Meeting
The second meeting of the Blue Ribbon Panel will take place in Singapore from June 19-21. The panel will continue to work toward identifying principles for ocean investment and approaches to achieving GPO objectives and outcomes. The panel will present their findings at the Summit in The Hague on September 9-13, 2013. For more information on the panelists please see their biographies and please enjoy this short video featuring this expert panel and their objectives.
Please feel free to send this video out from your social media channels for World Ocean Day: The @GPOceans Blue Ribbon Panel of ocean experts share their vision for the future of the ocean. http://ow.ly/lOnoS #WorldOceansDay.
We will be in touch again soon with more information about the Summit in The Hague from September 9-13, 2013.
Best wishes from the Interim Secretariat, Global Partnership for Oceans