Lisbon / New York
The Global Parliamentary Declaration Calling for a Moratorium on Deep Seabed Mining was officially launched today by Ms. Marie Toussaint, PGA Member and Member of the European Parliament (France), at the side event of the UN Ocean Conference on “Currents of Political Change: Reviewing our Common Heritage and Common Responsibility in light of the Climate Crisis and Dangers of Deep Sea Mining (DSM).”
Pointing at the destructive risks of deep seabed mining for our oceans, its ecosystems, and our planet as a whole, she stressed the necessity to gather forcesas the future of our oceans concern us all. She called on parliamentarians from around the world to join the moratorium in a demonstration of solidarity with the people of the Pacific region; to urge governments to participate in negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to increase the level of transparency in the ISA decision-making process; and to request a complete reform of the ISA so that it becomes a transparent, accountable, effective and inclusive regulatory body committed to defending the deep sea.
Honorable Ralph Regenvanu, MP (Vanuatu), co-initiator of the Declaration and Chair of the Pacific Parliamentarians’ Alliance on DSM, appealed to other Pacific islands to follow the leadership of Fiji (the first Pacific Island State to declare a ban on DSM within its national jurisdiction). Recalling the interlinkage of the climate, biodiversity, pandemic and economic crises - all consequences of human activities and “the dominant value system that underpins our economic structures” - he stressed the need to listen to the expertise of indigenous communities and scientists who are warning us against the destruction and harm of DSM. Together with PGA, the Pacific Parliamentarians’ Alliance is committed to unite political efforts to “draw a blue line on deep sea mining”.
Ambassador Samuel Laloniu, UN Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the UN; Ms. Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, MP (New Zealand); Senator Sabina Flores Perez (Guam); and Mariama Williams, feminist economist, all underlined the necessity of prioritizing our responsibility, obligation and privilege to preserve our culture and traditional knowledge to preserve the oceans as our common heritage.
La comunidad científica, la sociedad civil, la industria pesquera y los políticos han expresado su preocupación por el hecho de que los riesgos asociados a un mayor deterioro de las aguas profundas superan cualquier posible beneficio neto para la humanidad. Los fondos marinos, el mayor bioma del mundo, representan hasta el 90% del medio ambiente marino. Aunque las profundidades marinas son una de las zonas más inaccesibles de la Tierra, desempeñan un papel crucial en la regulación del planeta, incluso mediante la absorción y el almacenamiento de inmensas cantidades de dióxido de carbono liberado en el aire gracias a la actividad humana. La comunidad científica, la sociedad civil, la industria pesquera y los políticos han expresado su preocupación por el hecho de que los riesgos asociados a un mayor deterioro de las aguas profundas superan cualquier posible beneficio neto para la humanidad. La Autoridad Internacional de los Fondos Marinos (ISA, por sus siglas en inglés) ha entablado negociaciones para elaborar una normativa sobre la explotación minera de los fondos marinos e intenta adoptarla antes de julio de 2023. La Autoridad Internacional de los Fondos Marinos (ISA, por sus siglas en inglés) ha entablado negociaciones para elaborar una normativa sobre la explotación minera de los fondos marinos e intenta adoptarla antes de julio de 2023.
Who Can Sign?Publication
Protegiendo los Fondos Marinos: Hoja Informativa para los Parlamentarios
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Hoja informativa para Parlamentarios: Cronograma para la Protección de los Fondos Marinos
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The Global Parliamentary Declaration Calling for a Moratorium on Deep Seabed Mining is open for signature by all Members of National and Provincial/State Parliaments as well as Members of Regional Parliaments.