To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what voluntary initiatives his Department has implemented under the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 14.
Answered on
4 September 2017
The United Kingdom has made four voluntary commitments under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the following topics:
- Marine science. The UK has pledged to work actively with international partners in a range of major issues such as strengthening global ocean observations, world ocean assessments and data sharing.
- Marine Litter. The UK has committed to several actions in order to combat marine litter. These include reducing the volume of single use plastic bags, the introduction of national litter strategies and banning microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. The UK has also signed up to the UN Clean Seas Initiative.
- Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme. The UK has committed to delivering a package of measures that will help to provide Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions with accurate hydrographic and scientific date relating to their marine environment. The UK will also provide training and capacity building for national bodies involved in the research and management of marine resources, to enable them to use the data to promote economic growth and development.
- Marine Protected Areas in the UK and our Overseas Territories. The UK has committed to ensuring that UK waters are managed and used in a sustainable way, including by working internationally with our Overseas Territories in order to protect the globally significant biodiversity found in their waters
A more detailed summary of the commitments of the United Kingdom and other States and organisations is at https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments/