Introduction
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS), in alignment with the statement delivered by the Group of 77 and China.
We would like to begin by thanking Ambassador McGuire and Ambassador Hermann for the
revised text. We believe that this new iteration captures the ideas expressed during the last round
of informal consultations, and enriches the Declaration.
Paragraphs 1 through 10
We welcome the language strengthening the climate-ocean nexus in paragraph 3 and 5, as well
as the strengthened language in paragraph 4 on committing to take urgent action to achieve the
expired targets.
We strongly support the recognition of how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the
problem of marine plastic litter, and also how SIDS have been disproportionately adversely
affected by this issue in paragraph 7.
However, we do not see the need for a specific reference to the disposal of PPE in this paragraph.
The majority of pandemic-associated mismanaged plastic waste was actually generated by
hospitals, rather than PPE, and there are also other contributing factors such as increased
utilization of plastic packaging materials for shipping. In this context, we think a broader
reference would be more appropriate.
While we are fine with the current formulation of paragraph 9 on BBNJ, we wish to flag that this
paragraph may need to be revisited and revised, based on the outcome of the ongoing Fourth
IGC.
In concluding, I would once again like to thank the distinguished co-facilitators once again for
providing us with strong text, which has put us on the pathway for a robust outcome at the
Second UN Ocean Conference.
I thank you.