G8 - YUDHOYONO TO SOLICIT USG SUPPORT FOR WORLD OCEANS

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001294 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES AND EAP COMMERCE FOR NOAA USAID FOR ANE, EGAT BANGKOK FOR RDM/A NSC FOR CEQ CONNAUGHTON, VAN DYKE, KUSKA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EAID KGHG SENV PGOV ID SUBJECT: G8 - YUDHOYONO TO SOLICIT USG SUPPORT FOR WORLD OCEANS CONFERENCE ¶1. (SBU) President Yudhoyono will convey an aide memoire on the 2009 World Ocean Conference (WOC) to President Bush and other world leaders during next week's G8 Summit in Japan, as part of an effort to solicit international support and high-level participation at the May 2009 event. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) has prepared the aide memoire on the WOC, which Indonesia is hosting in Manado, North Sulawesi, from May 11-15, 2009. The Government of Indonesia would like the WOC to serve as the backdrop for a Summit Meeting of Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) country leaders, who will officially adopt the CTI Action Plan and "kick off" its implementation. ¶2. (SBU) The centerpiece of the WOC is intended to be a "Manado Ocean Declaration" - an agreement stressing the role of the oceans in regulating climate change and the importance of safeguarding the function of oceans as an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change. DKP sources indicate that they are open to advice and suggestions in formulating a substantive declaration, to develop agreement on needed action to address ocean impacts of climate change (next steps beyond emissions controls). The declaration is also intended to attract the high-level participation that the GOI wants at the WOC and CTI Summit. The text about the declaration and its rough outline are reproduced verbatim below: Manado Ocean Declaration -------------- The Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) is a commitment between nations to address the impacts of climate change on the way of life and livelihoods in and on the sea, the coast and small islands. The MOD will consist of 3 parts: preamble, body, and recommendations. Preamble: The preamble will refer to amongst other things to the Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS),especially in relationship to the protection and conservation of the marine environment and the obligation to cooperate, at both regional and global levels. Body: The body will make statements about the two-way relationship between climate change and the oceans, including drafting a number of solutions (adaptation and mitigation) for addressing the current impacts and those which will or are predicted to occur in the future. Recommendations: The recommendations section will contain ways in which the declaration can be translated into action, in the form of opportunities for the international cooperation which is needed such as: research, exchange of data, capacity building, transfer of knowledge and technology, substantial financial support, and so on. ¶3. (U) For a scanned electronic copy of the complete aide memoire, contact Environment Officer Machut Shishak at shishakma@state.gov. HUME