What did WSSD Decide about the Oceans?

The significance of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, was its recommitment to sustainable development as the main agenda between nations and its forging of an action plan to achieve this. The Plan of Implementation is important as it represents a new and comprehensive approach towards environmental conservation, the appropriate use of natural resources, and in the fight against poverty. This comprehensive and concrete plan will have a longreaching impact on oceans and coastal areas around the world.

1. Holding of the Johannesburg Summit

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4, 2002, just 10 years after the Rio Earth Summit, in order to review activities for sustainable development over the past ten years, evaluate conditions for implementation, and discuss activities for the next 10 years, including newly emerging issues.
Representatives from 191 countries, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, industry and scholars attended the summit, and various problems were discussed toward the achievement of "sustainable development." At the summit, developed countries and developing countries had spirited debate in regard to funds for development in developing countries, their common yet different responsibilities, and satisfactory governance. Developed countries opposed each other over renewable energy and the Kyoto Protocol for the prevention of global warming. Difficulties arose in the establishment of concrete goals, and participating countries were in dispute finalizing the content of the Johannesburg Declaration to the very last day.
Because of these difficulties and the unilateralist impression given by the U.S., the Johannesburg Summit has not necessarily been highly rated either domestically or internationally. However, it is unwise to evaluate the Johannesburg Summit based solely on impressions of the summit itself. Given the preparatory period of one and a half years and the fact that a large number of top government officials from various countries gathered for discussions with international organizations and non-governmental organizations, what was decided at the summit does indeed carry some weight. If these decisions are not examined thoroughly, or efforts are not made to take action on what was decided, exceedingly difficult problems may arise for human society, as people are forced to change their lifestyles due to the pressures of population increase and environmental problems. From this perspective, I would like to examine how oceans and coastal area problems were treated in the Johannesburg Summit Plan of Implementation.

2. Treatment of ocean related issues at the summit

Oceans and coastal areas were taken up as one of the major agenda items at the previous Rio Earth Summit, and an action plan for environmental protection and the sustainable development and use of oceans and coastal areas was outlined in detail in Chapter 17 of Agenda 21. As far as the latest summit is concerned, the problems of oceans and coastal areas were not taken up as a major agenda item, being superseded by such imminent problems as poverty, water, energy, health and food. But it is obvious that oceans and coastal areas play an important role in the solution of the abovementioned problems. Considering the continuity between the Rio Earth Summit and the Johannesburg Summit and the importance of oceans, I would have to say that this kind of handling underestimates the roles of oceans and coastal areas.
Ultimately, however, through the efforts of concerned countries, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, scholars and other interested persons who asserted the importance of the oceans, an action plan related to the management of oceans and coastal areas and to the problems of small island states was written into the WSSD Plan of Implementation, as "4. Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development (29- 34)" and "7. Sustainable development of small island developing States."

3. Matters related to oceans and coastal areas in the WSSD Plan of Implementation

The Johannesburg Summit is significant in the respect that "sustainable development" was reconfirmed as a major global concern for discussion, and that a new implementation plan that aims at environmental conservation and the appropriate use of natural resources was comprehensively formulated. Various items relating to oceans were specifically incorporated into the implementation plan, and, for some of these, target years for achieving goals were also clearly specified. It is very significant that an action plan for more than the next 10 years was determined. These items should be fully publicized, while measures for imple mentation should be examined among all the people involved and announced publicly. The following are part of the implementation plan with target years for achieving the specified goals:

1. Oceans, seas, islands and coastal areas form an integrated and essential component of the Earth's ecosystem and are critical for global food security and for sustaining economic prosperity and the well-being of many national economies, particularly in developing countries. Ensuring the sustainable development of the oceans requires effective coordination and cooperation, including at the global and regional levels, between relevant bodies, and actions at all levels to: (a) ratify or accede to and implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, (b) promote the implementation of chapter 17 of Agenda 21, (c) encourage the application by 2010 of the ecosystem approach, and (d) promote integrated, multidisciplinary and multisectoral coastal and ocean management at the national level. (paragraph 30)
2. To achieve sustainable fisheries, maintain and restore stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield with the aim of achieving these goals for depleted stocks on an urgent basis and where possible not later than 2015. (paragraph 31 (a))
3. Urgently develop and implement national and, where appropriate, regional plans of action, to put into effect the international plans of action of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in particular the International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity by 2005 and the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing by 2004. (paragraph 31 (d))
4. Develop and facilitate the use of diverse approaches and tools, including the ecosystem approach, the elimination of destructive fishing practices, the establishment of marine protected areas consistent with international law and based on scientific information, including representative networks by 2012. (paragraph 32 (c))
5. Advance implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities and the Montreal Declaration on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, with particular emphasis during the period from 2002 to 2006 on municipal wastewater, the physical alteration and destruction of habitats, and nutrients. Make every effort to achieve substantial progress by the next Global Programme of Action conference in 2006 to protect the marine environment from land-based activities. (paragraph 33)
6. Invite States to ratify or accede to and implement the conventions and protocols and other relevant instruments of the International Maritime Organization relating to the enhancement of maritime safety and protection of the marine environment from marine pollution and environmental damage caused by ships, including the use of toxic anti-fouling paints, and urge the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to consider stronger mechanisms to secure the implementation of IMO instruments by flag States. Urge the International Maritime Organization to finalize its draft International Convention on the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. (paragraph 34 (a) and (b))
7. Establish by 2004 a regular process under the United Nations for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment. (paragraph 36 (b))

4. What is necessary from now?

As mentioned above, oceans were not taken up as a major agenda item at the WSSD, but one can see that matters related to oceans and coastal areas were defined quite comprehensively and specifically in the Plan of Implementation. The question is whether a tougher implementation system can be established in order to execute the plan.
The preamble of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea prescribes that "the problems of oceans are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole." However, because there are a wide range of related matters, it is very difficult to work in a comprehensive manner and establish a cooperative relationship among all the parties involved. Because of this, a number of matters related to systematic frameworks, such as the permanent establishment of an efficient and transparent system coordinating international organizations within the United Nations, the expeditious start of national strategies for sustainable development and their implementation by 2005, are included in "Chapter 11 Institutional framework for sustainable development" in the WSSD plan of implementation.
What worries me is Japan's lack of response. In Japan, there is no permanent governmental department or agency to oversee major problems such as the "sustainable development of oceans" that cannot be handled by the sectoral oriented approach of individual ministries and agencies. Therefore, these problems are often left without being properly treated. Looking back on Japan's response to Agenda 21 and the Global Plan of Action (GPA) adopted in 1995, matters that needed to be comprehensively addressed beyond sectoral oriented approach were completely left out, and no response has been made. That is why matters related to oceans were left out completely without being responded to by the Japanese Government at the WSSD.
It is also said that because Agenda 21, the GPA, the Johannesburg Summit Plan of Implementation do not have binding force, unlike a treaty, is part of the reason for their being neglected. If such is the case, I am embarrased for Japan as a developed country seeking to establish a responsible position in the 21st century's international society. I therefore hope that the Japanese Government will not repeat this mistake with the WSSD plan of implementation.
However, it is also clear that the Plan of Implementation cannot be adequately handled by the current sectoral oriented approach of ministries. It is therefore necessary to establish systems and organizations so that the Cabinet can comprehensively treat ocean problems responsibly by formulating an ocean policy and basic ocean law as well as by conducting ministerial meetings relating to oceans and establishing an Ocean Policy Office (tentative name).

5. Creation of an international cooperative ocean network

Internationally, there has been an active movement among people working in ocean related fields to tackle the problems of the oceans at both the global and regional levels. In order to assert the importance of the problems of oceans at the WSSD, and in order for scholars, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and volunteers concerned with the oceans from various countries and international organizations to strengthen their resolve on oceanic problems after the WSSD closed, the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts and Islands was established during the summit.
It is hoped that cooperative agreement on and enforcement of the WSSD plan of implementation as well as Agenda 21, and other matters relating to the WSSD Type II Initiative which is related to oceans, coasts and islands, and that has been developed in various places, will enhance the synergistic effects. In the future, efforts will be made to hold the Global Forum periodically to discuss the problems of oceans, to participate actively in various global and local forums, to share information on oceans and to engage in publicity activities. As global, regional and national measures for comprehensive ocean management are still insufficient, it is necessary to further reinforce this kind of coordination and cooperation in the future.
I also would like to add that the relationship between oceans and fresh water, which has not been much focused on previously - namely, the water cycle from evaporated seawater to rainwater falling in forests and flowing into rivers and oceans - and environmental problems is gaining attention among those concerned with oceans and coasts who will attend the 3rd World Water Forum to be held in the Kansai region next March, because water problems were taken up as a major issue at the recent WSSD.