Developing, Developed Nations Split On Ocean Declaration

Manado, North Sulawesi - Tough negotiations marked the drafting of the Manado Ocean Declaration set to cap the first World Ocean Conference (WOC) here, with developing and developed countries split over funding issues, a conference official said on Tuesday.

“It is the position of developed countries and developing countries,” said Edy Pratomo, head of the senior official meeting at the conference, speaking about the main roadblocks that occurred in formulating the declaration.

“But all of that has now been agreed on by referendum at the senior official level,” Edy said, adding that the draft will now be submitted to ministers to study further during their two-day meeting, which kicks off today.

Edy said contentious points had included transferring technology, which developing countries said should be carried out by developed countries, along with offering incentives for developing countries to implement good conservation policies and programs.

Another area of debate was the financial resources needed for adaptation and mitigation efforts, he added.

He said developed countries were still reluctant to commit on financial issues, and no conclusion has been reached on which paragraphs would be removed from the final declaration.

“There are no objections from the developed countries but they don`t want to use strong language, meanwhile we want to use clearer language to improve the management of oceans and sea coastal areas in the future,” he said.

Most vocal from the advanced countries` camp were the United States, Australia and Germany, while from the developing nations were Mexico, Egypt, some of the Gulf states, India and Pakistan, a conference source said.

Edy said that the declaration was expected to produce a political commitment for the first time over issues concerning the ocean.

Even though it was only a declaration, he said, every party had been cautious in adding their input, as it would be seen as a reflection of their position.

Faysal Gouia, the Tunisian Ambassador to Jakarta who took part in the conference, said that at least “the conference agreed that the Manado Ocean Declaration will be recommended to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference,” which is set to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

The WOC conference, held at the initiative of Indonesia, aims at getting the international world to pay more attention to the role of oceans in climate change. The Manado Ocean Declaration is scheduled to be declared on Thursday.

After the WOC events, Indonesia and five other countries — East Timor, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands — will launch a new multilateral partnership, called the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, to open on Friday.

The coral triangle is defined by marine zones containing 500 species of coral. Fidelis E. Satriastanti

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com (12 May 2009)
Photo: http://www.bestmanadoguide.com

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