Phl to host high-level meet on marine environment

MANILA, Philippines - Some 500 local and international participants are expected to attend top-level discussions on the protection of the marine environment that the government will host in Manila this week.

The Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC), with the theme, “Towards a Greener Coastal Economy” will be held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25.

The 3rd Intergovernmental Review Meeting (IGR3) on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, will also be held at the same hotel on Jan. 25 to Jan. 27.

The double events organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will begin with a keynote address by former President Fidel V. Ramos and Director Ibarahim Thiaw of UNEP delivering a message during the opening ceremony of GLOC on Monday, while Environment Secretary Ramon Paje will deliver the welcome remarks.

The other activities lined up on the first day of the conference include a presentation by Prof. Joe Alcamo of UNEP’s Foresight Process in Identifying Emerging Global Issues, and group discussions on the following issues: Managing the Global Nutrient Cycle; Marine litter: The role of Global Partnership; Coastal Ecosystems: Values and Services; Wastewater; and Deltas in relation to the declaration of 2013 as the International Year of Deltas.

A side event that concerns SIDA-supported Spatial Planning in the Coastal Zone will also be conducted during the day.

On the second day, delegates would discuss issues involving Regional Seas in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UN agencies, water resources management, and ecosystem-based coastal planning and management, nutrient reduction and hypoxia through GEF’s catalytic action, and demonstration of policy toolbox in support of making right policy choices to address nutrient of coastal waters by UNEP.

Meanwhile, the succeeding three-day IGR3 would include two segments starting with the technical segment that will look into the progress on the implementation of the program of action to protect coastal and marine environment, including the policy issues to further the program’s implementation.

Ministers would review and decide on the global program of action for 2012-2016, and the adoption of the Manila Declaration, which becomes the body’s input to the Rio+20 Summit in June.

Three side events slated on Wednesday include the launching of Green Economy in a Blue World by UNEP, Marine Spatial Planning as an Area-based Management Tool using the Ecosystem Approach, and the GEF International Waters Support for the GPA, including the launch of UNEP-GEF Project on Global Foundations for Reducing Nutrient Enrichment.

Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection Nereus Acosta is also scheduled to speak on Land-Water Connections: Building Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation on Thursday.