Bonn, 15 August 2012 - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has launched “the Oceans Compact”, a new initiative to protect the oceans and the people whose livelihoods depend on it.

Mr Ban called on countries to work together to achieve a more sustainable management of this precious resource and address the threats it is currently facing. He was speaking at an event in the city of Yeosu in the Republic of Korea (ROK), to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as the “constitution of the oceans”. Among the policies outlined in the Compact are the conserving and restoration of marine habitats important for carbon sequestration and storage, the conservation and protection of marine and coastal biodiversity and halting the spread of invasive alien species. It also calls for strengthened implementation of existing instruments and measures and increased participation in global and regional agreements addressing the protection and preservation of the marine environment and its living resources. All of these are vital to the aims of the Convention on Migratory Species and its specialized instruments such as ASCOBANS, ACCOBAMS and ACAP and the Memoranda of Understanding on marine turtles, sharks and dugongs.

CMS, ASCOBANS and the rest of the CMS Family warmly welcome this important new initiative.