The Ambassador of Monaco to the United Nations is Appointed Co-Chair of the "Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea"

The President of the UN General Assembly has appointed H.E. Ms Isabelle Picco and her counterpart from Trinidad and Tobago, H.E. Ms. Pennelope Beckles, to lead the next meeting of the Process, which will take place from 10 to 14 June 2019, on the theme "Ocean Science and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development."

This process is of great interest to the Principality, which, through the Prince's Government and NGOs, is particularly active in the field of oceans and seas; it develops and supports many scientific programmes and activities.

The Co-Chairs will be responsible for organising the work and, in association with the UN's Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, setting up panels comprised of scientists, political decision-makers, members of civil society and the private sector.

They will then act as co-Chairs of all the sessions and will present a report containing a summary of the discussions, the main elements of which will be included in the annual resolution of the General Assembly on oceans and the law of the sea.

This Process is particularly appreciated by participants, as it remains the only forum in which delegations can broaden their knowledge and interact with a large number of experts from a wide variety of fields.

For example, recent meetings have focused on anthropogenic underwater noise, the effects of climate change on the oceans, plastic and microplastic pollution, seafood for food security and ocean acidification.

The Monaco Scientific Centre (CSM) has taken part in these meetings on two occasions (in 2013 and 2017), when it presented the conclusions of international workshops on the socioeconomic impact of ocean acidification.  These workshops are held at regular intervals in the Principality.

The 2019 meeting will be co-chaired by two women for the first time since it was first established in 2000 by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.  This is testimony to efforts to ensure greater parity, including in the conduct of formal meetings and in coordinating negotiations.