UN Calls for Urgent Ocean Action on World Oceans Day; Japan’s Aid Boosts Food Security in Pakistan
The Secretary-General lauded the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a historic treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
New York/Islamabad – On the occasion of UN World Oceans Day 2024, United Nations Secretary-General delivered a poignant message addressing the critical state of the world’s oceans and calling for immediate, collaborative action to protect and restore marine ecosystems. Concurrently, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) acknowledged Japan’s significant contribution to enhancing food security and building resilience in flood-affected regions of Pakistan.
In his World Oceans Day message, the Secretary-General emphasized the vital role oceans play in sustaining life on Earth, while highlighting the alarming threats posed by climate change, ocean acidification, unsustainable practices, and pollution. Rising sea levels and record sea temperatures are intensifying extreme weather events and jeopardizing the livelihoods of small island states and coastal populations. The destruction of coral reefs due to acidification disrupts food chains and threatens local economies reliant on tourism and fishing.
Despite these challenges, there are promising developments. The Secretary-General lauded the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a historic treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Additionally, the ongoing efforts to establish a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution and recent opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea call for robust measures to curb marine pollution from greenhouse gas emissions.
This year’s Summit of the Future and next year’s UN Oceans Conference in France represent critical opportunities for global leaders to commit to decisive action. The Secretary-General urged governments, businesses, investors, scientists, and communities to unite in defense of the oceans, echoing this year’s World Oceans Day theme to inspire deeper commitments to ocean conservation.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the WFP celebrated Japan’s generous donation of USD 7.2 million across three projects aimed at stabilizing food security and nutrition for people in Pakistan’s flood-affected areas. These contributions have been pivotal in addressing the immediate and long-term needs of 246,000 individuals impacted by the 2022 floods in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A Project Completion ceremony was held at the WFP Country Office, attended by Ms. Coco Ushiyama, WFP Country Director in Pakistan, and H.E. Wada Mitsuhiro, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan. Ambassador Wada reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to food security and nutrition as fundamental to sustainable development, while Ms. Ushiyama expressed deep gratitude for Japan’s unwavering support.
The WFP’s interventions, facilitated by Japan’s funding, included emergency food assistance, conditional cash support during early recovery, and capacity-building activities to enhance local disaster resilience, climate-smart agriculture, and food production skills. Overall, the WFP mobilized over USD 150 million for emergency flood response by December 2023, supporting nearly 4.4 million people in Pakistan.
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The WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organization, continues to save lives in emergencies and foster stability through food assistance, reinforcing pathways to peace and prosperity for those recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change.
As the UN emphasizes the need for global cooperation to protect our oceans, Japan’s support to Pakistan exemplifies the impactful collaborations necessary to address both environmental and humanitarian crises.
