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INSIGHT: Communities play a key role in saving the oceans
The celebration was also a reminder that well-written policy is important but its implementation matters even more. The involvement of communities in saving the oceans is a key factor.
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Blue is the warmest color: Children play on a beach on one of the Fam Islands, one of Raja Ampat's conservation zones. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
I
was lucky enough to attend the celebration of World Oceans Day (WOD) 2017 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. For the first time, WOD was celebrated as the main event of the UN General Assembly. The United Nations’ Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) managed to bring the celebration of WOD to the next level. Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti was also at the event, accompanied by the Indonesian ambassador to the UN.
I was at the event in my capacity as an alumnus of the UNNippon Foundation Fellowship program. The program enables young people from developing countries to conduct research on DOALOS and learn from the best in the field. Out of more than 100 alumni, around 70 were invited to the celebration and most of them are now in a strategic position in their countries.
This reminds us all that capacity building is critical when it comes to ocean-related expertise. It has to be admitted that for such an important issue and given that oceans cover the majority of the planet, the world lacks experts.
It is promising to see how the UN through DOALOS with support from the Nippon Foundation has full commitment to expand and improve their capacity building programs to reach more people in need of ocean-related expertise.
During the celebration, I also witnessed how younger generations were involved so much in the field. Using their own approaches, they have done extraordinarily in helping save and manage the ocean.
Two teenage sibling from Bali, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, for example, presented their project “Bye-bye plastic bags” and opened the eyes of many. A simple idea with persistence can really make a difference.
The use of social media, where the native digital generation live their life, has proven to be effective and powerful in expanding and improving participation. In less than five years, they managed to gain UN recognition.
