16 April 2013: The European Union (EU) Parliament voted to adopt a ban on discarding unwanted fish caught in the Skagerrak, a strait connecting the Baltic and the North Seas. The ban, which will be implemented between 2014 and 2016, requires all fishing vessels to land all caught fish, regardless of fish size or species.
15 April 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) and Conservation International (CI) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on the sidelines of the 46th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee to provide a framework for future cooperation.
11 April 2013: The "High Seas, Our Future!" conference, which took place in Paris, France, concluded with the launch of the "Paris Appeal for the High Seas" stressing the importance of governance of the high seas, in the run up to negotiations on this topic in 2014.
10 April 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Montenegro has designated Tivat Saline, a Special Flora and Fauna Reserve located in the coastal strip of Tivat Bay, as its second Wetland of International Importance.
10 April 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Australia has designated Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands on the South Australia coast as its 65th Wetland of International Importance.
9 April 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Honduras has designated two new coastal wetlands as Ramsar sites, bringing the total number of Wetlands of International Importance for this country to eight.
2 April 2013: The Chair of the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), Achim Steiner, on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, has invited UN Member States and Specialized Agencies to submit names for possible nomination to the Ocean Compact Advisory Group (OCAG), and specified selection criteria. The call is open until 15 April 2013.
3 April 2013: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed sustainable development, climate change and protection of the marine environment in remarks in Monaco, on 3 April 2013, on the occasion of the principality's 20th anniversary of UN membership.
2 April 2013: The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the launch of the International Blue Carbon Initiative's new website.
The Global Ocean Action Summit, organized by the Government of the Netherlands and the World Bank, is meant to "seal major deals for worldwide action" addressing the threats to the health and productivity of oceans. The meeting aims to mobilize financial and technical support for attaining established goals under the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO). It will also host the first official assembly of GPO partners, and will mark the implementation phase of the GPO. In addition, a report indicating priority areas and regions for action will be launched by the GPO Blue Ribbon Panel, an independent group of ocean experts. Attendance is by invitation only.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
