ENB @ 2nd Marine Biodiversity Working Group: Highlights for 28 April, 2008

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	Second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction New York \| 28 April-2 May 2008


Daily Web Coverage	Bulletins
Daily Web Coverage	HTM	PDF
Curtain Raiser
Mon 28 Apr
Tue 29 Apr
Wed 30 Apr
Thu 1 May
Fri 2 May & Summary
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Marine Biodiversity Working Group Convenes

The Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group of the General Assembly to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (the Working Group) opened on Monday 28 April, at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York.

In the morning, the Working Group addressed organizational matters and heard scientific presentations from panellists on deep sea biodiversity, the biogeography of deep sea benthos, the "Assessment of Assessments" for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment and the science policy nexus.

During the late morning and afternoon, delegates made general remarks on issues identified in General Assembly resolution 61/222 regarding the environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine biological diversity, coordination and cooperation among states, the role of area-based management tools, genetic resources and the existence of governance regulatory gaps.

Monday, 28 April 2008
Opening Plenary

Ambassador Robert Hill (Australia) co-chaired the Working Group and encouraged participants to move beyond the work of the first meeting.	Juan Manuel Gómez-Robledo (Mexico) co-chaired the Working Group and recalled the origins and evolution of the process.	Nicholas Michel, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, drew attention to the Secretary General's Report (A/62/66/Add.2) prepared to facilitate the Working Group's discussions.
Scientific Reports
Peter Auster, University of Connecticut at Avery Point.	Elva Escobar Briones, Ad Hoc Steering Group of the Assessment of Assessments.	Les Watling, University of Hawaii.
General Statements
Claude Heller (Mexico) for the Rio Group.	Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu (Tonga).	Gail P. Guy (Trinidad and Tobago).
Constance Arvis (United States).	Masaya Sagawa (Japan).	Anniken Krutnes (Norway).
Carolyn Schwalger (New Zealand).	Anna Cavnar (Palau).	Holger Martinsen (Argentina).
Harlan Cohen (IUCN).	Jorge Csirke (FAO).	Biliana Cicin-Sain (Global Forum).
Environmental Impacts of Anthropogenic Activities
Ecuador.	Dire Tladi (South Africa).	Stephanie Oberscheider (Australia).
Side Events
UN University-Institute for Advanced Studies and UNESCO co-hosted a lunchtime side event on "Marine Bioprospecting - status, tools and resources."
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Fiji hosted a lunchtime side event at which Ambassador Satya Nandan spoke on the "Relationship between UNCLOS and the two Agreements."