In just a few weeks time, the UN General Assembly will begin its 69th session. Why is this important? Government representatives from around the world will gather to discuss the future of the ocean and how it should be governed. At the June 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio-20) governments committed to address on an urgent basis key issues surrounding conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in those areas that fall outside of any one government’s national jurisdiction — the portion that belongs to all of us. We all have a shared concern in how these areas are managed and protected, and after many years of discussion at the UN, this is the year that governments have committed to make a decision. But we need your help.
The Global Ocean Commission, comprised of world leaders from politics and business, is circulating a petition calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ask governments gathering at the UN in September to support the development of a new agreement to protect and conserve ocean biodiversity. Please follow this link and add your voice to 100,000 others who also want to protect the high seas and ensure a healthy ocean.