The First Latinoamérica Azul Summit

By: María de los Ángeles Schoenbeck, Coastal Solutions Fellow 2022

The first “Young Leaders for the Ocean Summit – Latinoamérica Azul”, organized by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) and the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), was held in collaboration with the Costa Rican government’s high-level event “Immersed in Change”. This event brought together authorities and experts from around the world with the aim of accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) and addressing the climate crisis. 

I was selected to participate in this first regional summit of young ocean leaders as an international delegate, representing SOA Guatemala along with four colleagues. The event, which took place June 3-6 at the National University of Costa Rica, brought together more than 100 young people from 18 different countries in the Americas and the Caribbean.

During this three-day summit, we worked on the elaboration of a declaration that gathers our main demands related to ocean conservation and underlines the urgency of intensifying efforts in decision-making on marine ecosystems. We addressed ten key issues: marine protected areas, climate change, marine pollution, science, innovation and technology, fisheries, international agreements, underwater mining, ocean education and culture, blue economy, and marine governance and coastal communities.

During this three-day summit, we worked on the elaboration of a declaration that gathers our main demands related to ocean conservation and underlines the urgency of intensifying efforts in decision-making on marine ecosystems. We addressed ten key issues: marine protected areas, climate change, marine pollution, science, innovation and technology, fisheries, international agreements, underwater mining, ocean education and culture, blue economy, and marine governance and coastal communities.

I had the honour of leading the roundtable on marine governance and coastal communities. Together with ten other young people from Latin America, we expressed our concern about the current governance models in the marine-coastal zones of our region. We highlighted the lack of spaces for citizen participation in decision making, the need to integrate traditional knowledge of coastal communities and the untenability of top-down models for governance in these areas.

As Latin American youth, we call for the creation of a ministry in each of our countries, dedicated exclusively to ocean and coastal zone management. We propose the involvement of various sectors of society, integrating ancestral, cultural and scientific knowledge in the planning of actions in marine-coastal territories. It is essential to develop and apply participatory and co-management work models that include all local communities in the planning and execution of marine conservation projects. In addition, we advocate for greater opportunities for access to higher education in marine sciences and for the provision of continuous capacity building for local communities to increase their ability to manage and conserve marine resources at the governmental level.

Highlights of the Declaration 

Marine Protected Areas: We urge the effective fulfillment of the 30×30 goal of the Kunming-Montreal Convention on Biological Diversity, ensuring the creation of marine protected areas that prohibit industrial extractive activities. In countries such as Chile and Peru, these activities threaten protected marine ecosystems.

Underwater Mining: We are speaking out against underwater mining, calling for a moratorium on this activity and promoting collaborative research and monitoring of the seabed, demanding greater transparency and participation in the negotiations of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

Climate Change: We call on governments to actively participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dialogues on oceans and climate change. We propose the inclusion of ocean-based solutions within Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and effective enforcement in marine protected areas for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Other important demands include the ratification of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ), signing into the Escazu Agreement and the acceleration of negotiations for the approval of the Global Plastics Treaty.

Meeting with Hervé Berville 

We discussed these points with Hervé Berville, France’s Secretary of State for the Sea, in a meeting with 10 young representatives of Latinoamérica Azul. The conversation focused on how the Latin American youth agenda can be aligned with the priorities of the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference, which will be held next year in Nice, France.

This first regional summit of young ocean leaders was a unique and valuable space to build the Latinoamérica Azul declaration. This document marks a historic milestone by bringing together the coordinated efforts of Latin American youth focused on ocean conservation, highlighting the importance of the ocean and its protection as a response to the biodiversity, climate and pollution crises. The youth of the region seek to influence their countries and demonstrate the need for greater regional ambition to save our oceans.

As a fellow of the Coastal Solutions Program, I am leading a project in the Pacific of Guatemala where we work to increase the resilience of the marine-coastal zone through a framework that focuses on improving governance and strengthening resilience to the impacts of climate change. For this reason, moderating and participating in this declaration, especially on the marine governance and coastal governance topics, was particularly important. It is crucial that, as young people in the marine sciences, we generate knowledge about the impacts of economic activities and engage in local and regional advocacy. Working to highlight this information to governmental spaces is of utmost importance for the better management and promotion of conservation.