The high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development will be convened in New York, from 5 to 9 June 2017, coinciding with World Oceans Day, to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. The Conference will be co-hosted by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden.

The Conference shall:

• Identify ways and means to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14;
• Build on existing successful partnerships and stimulate innovative and concrete new partnerships to advance the implementation of Goal 14;
• Involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together Governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as actions taken towards, the implementation of Goal 14;
• Share the experiences gained at the national, regional and international levels in the implementation of Goal 14;
• Contribute to the follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by providing an input to the high-level political forum on sustainable development, in accordance with resolutions 67/290 of 9 July 2013, 70/1 of 25 September 2015 and 70/299 of 29 July 2016, on the implementation of Goal 14, including on opportunities to strengthen progress in the future;

The Conference shall comprise plenary meetings, partnership dialogues and a special event commemorating World Oceans Day.

The Conference shall adopt by consensus a concise, focused, intergovernmentally agreed declaration in the form of a "Call for Action" to support the implementation of Goal 14 and a report containing the co-chairs' summaries of the partnership dialogues, as well as a list of voluntary commitments for the implementation of Goal 14, to be announced at the Conference.

The President of the General Assembly will convene a two-day preparatory meeting, on 15-16 February 2017, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, to be chaired by H.E. Mr. Alvaro Mendonya Moura, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the UN, and H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN, the two co-facilitators, with a view to considering the themes for the partnership dialogues and elements for a "Call for Action".

Pre-registration is required for interested representatives of non-governmental organizations and major groups identified in Agenda 21 to participate in the preparatory meeting. Pre-registration is open from 7 November 2016 - 22 January 2017 at http://bit.ly/SDG14ConfPrep_Reg for organizations belonging to the following categories:

• organizations that are in consultative status with ECOSOC
• organizations accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and to previous United Nations conferences on sustainable development of small island developing States, held in Barbados, Mauritius and Samoa.

Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the scientific community, whose work is relevant to the Conference but who do NOT belong to the above categories are encouraged to apply for special accreditation to the Conference and the preparatory meeting by filling out a questionnaire http://bit.ly/SDG14ConfPrep_SA in addition to submitting their application for pre-registration to the preparatory meeting. Applications for special accreditation will be accepted from 7 November 2016 - 22 January 2017.

Eligible private sector organizations and philanthropic institutions may apply for special accreditation for the Conference and the preparatory meeting through the UN Global Compact from 7 November 2016 - 22 January 2017. Please email oceans@unglobalcompact.org to begin the registration process for private sector organizations and philanthropic institutions only.

• A/RES/71/312 - Our ocean, our future: call for action
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• A/CONF.230/14 - Report of the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
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• A/RES/70/226 - United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
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• A/RES/70/303 - Modalities for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
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• Background note of the Secretary-General for the preparatory process of the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
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• Provisional agenda
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• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 1: Addressing marine pollution (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 2: Managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 3: Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 4: Making fisheries sustainable (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 5: Increasing economic benefits to small islands developing States and least developed countries and providing access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 6: Increasing scientific knowledge, and developing research capacity and transfer of marine technology (Advance unedited version)
• Concept Paper on Partnership dialogue 7: Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Advance unedited version)

• Draft Programme of the Partnership Dialogues

• A/CONF.230/3 - Organizational and procedural matters
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• Letter to Member States - Partnership dialogue (6 Apr 2017)
• Final Draft Call for Action - Letter from the PGA (26 May 2017)
• Invitation letter of Sweden and Fiji, co-presidents of the Ocean Conference (2 Mar 2017)
• Letter from Mr. Wu Hongbo, USG, DESA, seeking contributions to the trust fund in support of preparations for the Conference to all Permanent Representatives to the UN (2 December 2016)
• Letter from the PGA on the Cultural Opening on 5 June (31 May 2017)
• Letter to Member States - Appointment of Co-Chairs (21 Apr 2017)
• Second draft of the Call for Action - Letter from the PGA (9 May 2017)
• Revised zero draft of the Call for Action - Letter from the PGA (10 Apr 2017)
• Themes for the partnership dialogues - Letter from the President of the General Assembly (24 Feb 2017)
• Letter from Mr. Wu Hongbo, USG, DESA to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the UN (27 Feb 2017)
• Letter from the PGA on the preparatory meeting (24 January 2017)

• Application Form for Exhibition Spaces
• Briefing on the United Nations high-level oceans conference 2017: The trade and development perspective (16 Jan 2017)
• Concept papers for partnership dialogues
• Guidance note on Voluntary Commitments for SDG 14 and The Ocean Conference
• Guidance Note Partnership Dialogues
• In-depth analysis of Ocean Conference Voluntary Commitments to support and monitor their implementation
• Informal briefing by the President of the General Assembly on the ongoing preparations for the Ocean Conference (13 Dec 2016)
• Message of Mr. Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of the Conference to the briefing on the UN Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG 14: The Trade and Development Perspective (16 Jan 2017)
• Partnership Dialogues Participants List
• Provisional List of Speakers to the Ocean Conference
• Provisional rules of procedure
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• Publicaton: The Potential of the Blue Economy
• Short Analysis of Voluntary Commitments
• Speakers list for Major Groups and other Stakeholders for the Plenary Meeting

• 5 June - Press Release: UN Secretary-General opens Ocean Conference, calling on countries to set aside short-term gain to avoid catastrophe
• Press Release: 80 commitments received to date

• Remarks from Mr. Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of the Conference, at the Briefing on The Ocean Conference (13 Dec 2016)
• Statement by H.E. Mr Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, at Briefing on The Ocean Conference (13 Dec 2016)
• Statement by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, at the Parliamentary Hearing of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (13 Feb 2017)

• A/CONF.230/INF/1 - Information for participants

• Programme of Side Events - Ocean Conference

Informal briefing by the President of the General Assembly on the Oceans Conference (13 December 2016) Briefing for Member States about The Ocean Conference in 2017

[15 November 2016] Press Conference in Marrakech

• 2017 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG 14 announced at COP 22 of UNFCCC

Side events sponsored by Governments, UN system and other Inter-Governmental Organizations as well as Major Groups and other stakeholders, will be organized from 14 to 16 February 2017, in the margins of the official meetings. Please click here to download the guidelines for organizers of side events including an online application form. Deadline for proposals is 15 January 2017.