VZCZCXRO8751
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0880/01 1400911
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200911Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2373
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8734
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 000880 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, OES; USAID FOR EGAT, ANE, RDMA/BANGKOK; COMMERCE FOR 
NOAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EFIS KGHG PREL ID
SUBJECT: Manado Ocean Declaration Stresses Climate-Ocean Linkages 
 
¶1.  Summary:  U.S. engagement contributed significantly to the 
success of the May 11-15 World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado, 
Indonesia.  Our substantive participation led to the adoption of the 
Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) by 76 countries, while our delegation 
underscored U.S. concern about climate change adaptation and 
generated significant positive publicity.  The MOD is a non-binding 
agreement which highlights linkages between climate change and the 
ocean and summarizes the role of the ocean as a component of the 
global climate system (see para 7 for full text).  In adopting the 
MOD, participating governments made political commitments to address 
the results of climate change impacts on the marine environment. 
End Summary. 
 
The U.S. "A-Team" Delegation 
---------------------------- 
¶2.  Led by Commerce Deputy Under Secretary (DUS) for Oceans and 
Atmosphere Mary Glackin, the U.S. delegation brought senior 
policymakers, scientists, technology experts and educators from 
NOAA, USAID, State and other public and private institutions, 
including Google, the Smithsonian Institution and Scripps 
Institution, to the WOC.  The delegation (the largest at the WOC) 
and its activities during the week also dominated media coverage in 
the local and international media.  Although up to 76 countries sent 
official delegates to the WOC, close to half were from their 
countries' diplomatic missions in Indonesia or elsewhere in the 
region.  Approximately 2000 persons registered for the WOC. 
 
Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) Adopted by 76 States 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
¶3.  May 12 was set aside for final negotiations on the draft MOD, 
while May 11 was reserved for expert presentations on a variety of 
specific oceans-climate topics -- intended to inform the 
deliberations of senior officials over the draft MOD.  NOAA 
Assistant Administrator Richard Spinrad -- the only U.S. speaker for 
these sessions -- presented on the importance of international 
collaboration to understand and predict climate change impacts. 
There was some initial concern that progress on finalizing the MOD 
would take much longer when it emerged that as many as one-third of 
country delegations had not received or seen the draft.  This led to 
prolonged negotiations on May 12. 
 
¶4.  Four main topics in the draft MOD text attracted attention 
and/or concern.  These included description of the 1982 Law of the 
Sea Convention as the legal framework for all ocean activities; 
deployment of technology in developing countries); funding for 
coastal and ocean management from the Adaptation Fund of the United 
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); and how to 
influence the outcome of climate talks in Copenhagen this December 
(COP-15) and the post-Kyoto framework.  These issues were the 
substantive focus of much of the last-minute negotiations among 
senior officials on May 12.  The U.S., Australian, Canadian, and 
other delegations spent the day persuading other delegations, often 
in tandem with the Indonesian delegation, to reject language that 
encroached on ongoing negotiations within the UNFCCC process, as 
well as to minimize new substantive language that would have 
required extensive discussion. 
 
¶5.  The MOD, a non-binding agreement which highlights linkages 
between climate change and the ocean, was adopted unanimously on the 
High-Level/Ministerial Day (May 14) by the heads of delegation 
(HODs) of up to 76 countries (11 international organizations were 
observers).  The MOD summarizes the role of the ocean as a component 
of the global climate system, affecting the rate of climate change. 
It also sets out the many implications of climate change for marine 
ecosystems and biodiversity, and for low-lying coastal communities 
that depend on the ocean and its resources.  In adopting the MOD, 
participating governments made political commitments to address the 
results of sea-level rise, ocean acidification, changing weather 
patterns, and other climate change-related phenomena.  It also urges 
action to reduce other stressors, such as overfishing, marine 
pollution, and unconstrained coastal development, so that marine 
ecosystems can be made resilient in the face of climate change. 
 
¶6.  Following opening ceremonies on May 14 presided over by 
President Yudhoyono, ministers and other HODs, including DUS 
Glackin, participated in a high-level policy dialogue on the 
ocean-climate issues referenced in the MOD.  Secretary Clinton's 
recorded welcome to the WOC Ministers highlighted U.S. support for 
the WOC, the MOD, and the need to highlight oceans issues in the 
climate change dialogue.  Her remarks were well received by 
delegates and GOI.  Delegates adopted the MOD by acclamation. 
Indonesia and other Parties intend to use the MOD in other 
international climate- and ocean-related forums to focus increased 
attention on adaptation needs as a result of climate change impacts 
on the marine environment. 
 
 
JAKARTA 00000880  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶7.  Full text of Manado Ocean Declaration: 
 
MANADO OCEAN DECLARATION 
(ADOPTED ON 14 MAY 2009, IN MANADO) 
 
We, the Ministers and the Heads of Delegations assembled at the 
World Ocean Conference to discuss threats to the ocean, the effects 
of climate change on the ocean, and the role of oceann in climate 
change, held in Manado, Indonesia, on May 14, 2009, 
 
RECALLING the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 
(UNCLOS), as the instrument that sets out the legal framework within 
which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and 
its Kyoto Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 
and the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping 
of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972, and its 1996 Protocol, 
 
RECOGNIZING that oceans and coasts provide valuable resources and 
services to support human populations, particularly coastal 
communities that depend heavily on them, and that the sustainable 
use of marine living resources will enhance global food security and 
contribute towards poverty reduction for present and future 
generations, 
 
EXPRESSING CONCERN over the degradation of the marine environment, 
in particular the loss of marine biodiversity, and marine ecosystems 
continuing to be threatened by land-based and sea-based pollution, 
alien invasive species, unsustainable use of marine and coastal 
resources, physical alteration, poor land-use planning, and 
socio-economic pressures, 
 
EQUALLY CONCERNED over marine ecosystems and living resources being 
affected by sea level rise, increased water temperature, ocean 
acidification, changing weather patterns, and other variations that 
may result from climate change, and how these alterations may 
aggravate the existing pressures of marine environmental degradation 
and increase risks to global food security, economic prosperity, and 
the well-being of human populations, 
 
NOTING the finding of the Fourth Assessment Report of the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that climate change 
will especially affect ecosystems, in particular mangroves, salt 
marshes, and low-lying coastal systems; certain regions, including 
the Arctic, Africa, Small Islands, and Asian and African megadeltas; 
and certain people, including the poor, young children, and the 
elderly, and reports of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) 
that identified key issues and consequences of climate change for 
fisheries, 
 
MINDFUL that progressive acidification of ocean water and increasing 
temperature will have negative impacts on marine biota, particularly 
shell-forming organisms, their dependent species, and coral reef 
structure and function, 
 
RECOGNIZING ALSO that sea level rise due to thermal expansion of the 
oceans and melting of ice sheets and glaciers are threatening the 
very existence of unprotected coastal communities situated at 
locations that are marginally above present sea level, and are 
increasing the vulnerability and isolation of small islands and 
low-lying coastal communities, due to their dependence on the 
coastal environment, fisheries, and critical infrastructure, 
 
ALSO MINDFUL of the potential impact of climate change on the 
attainment of relevant internationally agreed sustainable 
development goals, including those contained in the Millennium 
Development Goals, particularly for Least Developed Countries and 
Small Islands Developing States. 
 
RECOGNIZING the crucial role of the ocean as a component of the 
global climate system and in moderating its weather systems, and 
that the oceanographic processes that result from this interaction 
will affect the rate of climate change, 
 
NOTING the recent increase in the intensity of hurricanes, and 
projections regarding typhoons, tropical cyclones, and 
meteorological events worldwide and resultant damages especially to 
the developing countries, leading to socioeconomic challenges, 
 
EMPHASIZING that greater participation and investment in coastal and 
ocean observing systems and the wide availability of data from these 
systems would allow better assessment and monitoring of changes in 
coastal ecosystems and the ocean environment, including those 
resulting from climate change and climate variability, and that 
interdisciplinary research and monitoring systems play a significant 
role in reducing uncertainties with regard to the effects of climate 
 
JAKARTA 00000880  003 OF 004 
 
 
change on the ocean, and supporting ecosystem-based management, 
 
RECOGNIZING that healthy and productive coastal ecosystems, already 
increasing stressed by land-based and sea-based sources of 
pollution, coastal development, and habitat destruction, have a 
growing role in mitigating the effects of climate change on coastal 
communities and economies in the near term, 
 
RECOGNIZING that an integrated coastal and ocean management approach 
is a key in promoting resilience, and thus fundamental to preparing 
for and adapting to the effects of climate change on the ocean, 
 
RECOGNIZING the importance of building coastal and ocean resilience 
in the face of recent global crises pertaining to energy, food 
supplies, and financial systems, 
 
We declare the following: 
 
¶1. We will strive to achieve long-term conservation, management and 
sustainable use of marine living resources and coastal habitats 
through appropriate of the precautionary and ecosystem approaches, 
and to implement long-term strategies in meeting the internationally 
agreed sustainable development goals, including those contained in 
the United Nations Millennium Declaration that are related to the 
marine environment, and in so doing will strengthen global 
partnership for development. 
 
¶2. We stress the need for national strategies for sustainable 
management of coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular mangrove, 
wetland, seagrass, estuary and coral reef, as protective and 
productive buffer zones that deliver valuable ecosystem goods and 
services that have significant potential for addressing the adverse 
effects of climate change. 
 
¶3. We will implement integrated coastal and ocean management, 
including marine and coastal land use planning, to minimize and 
reduce the risk and vulnerability of coastal communities and 
critical infrastructure. 
 
¶4. We will strive to reduce pollution of ocean, coastal and land 
areas and to promote sustainable management of fisheries in 
accordance with relevant international agreements and codes of 
conduct I order to enhance the health and thus the resilience of 
coastal and marine ecosystems. 
 
¶5. We will cooperate in furthering marine scientific research and 
sustained integrated ocean observation systems; promote education 
and public awareness; work together for the improved understanding 
on the role of oceans on climate change and vice-versa, and its 
effects on marine ecosystems, marine biodiversity and coastal 
communities, especially in developing countries and small island 
states; invite scientific community/institutions to continue 
developing reliable scientific information on the roles of coastal 
wetlands, mangrove, algae, sea-grass and coral reef ecosystems in 
reducing the effects of climate change; share the knowledge on 
available best practices on the dynamic relationship between oceans 
and climate; continue promoting consideration of this relationship 
in other ocean related for a; and to incorporate this knowledge into 
advice on sustainable management practices. 
 
¶6. We will promote gathering and exchange of information related to 
climate change impacts on marine ecosystem, communities, fisheries 
and other industries; emergency preparedness, monitoring, and 
forecasting climate change and ocean variability; and improving 
public awareness of early warning system capacity. 
 
¶7. We emphasize the need to develop, consistent with international 
commitments, comprehensive adaptation measures including within 
national sustainable development strategies to address 
climate-related impacts on oceans and coasts, and to develop 
environmentally sound policies for integrated coastal and ocean 
management based on reliable scientific assessments and 
internationally agreed goals, particularly for the most vulnerable 
communities that fully depend on marine resources for their 
livelihood. 
 
¶8. We resolve to promote, for the purposes of increasing coral 
atolls and coastal communities resilience and preparation for the 
impacts of climate change on oceans, the development of national 
adaptation measures that include the effective use of all relevant 
information, climate-impact projection scenarios, early warning 
systems, disaster risk reduction and risk assessment, and 
vulnerability mapping to identify priorities for short-term and 
long-term actions. 
 
¶9. We will strive to implement sustainable development strategies, 
 
JAKARTA 00000880  004 OF 004 
 
 
including through, inter-alia, appropriately applying a 
precautionary approach to coastal and ocean management in addressing 
the adverse effects of climate change on oceans, and in this regard, 
we will take adequate measures to reduce sources of marine 
pollution, assure integrated management, and rehabilitate coastal 
ecosystems such as estuaries, coastal wetlands, mangroves, coral 
reefs, sea-grass beds, and sand dunes with particular attention to 
sedimentation as well. 
 
¶10. We stress the need for financial resources and incentives to 
further assist developing countries' efforts in promoting 
diversified, environmentally sustainable livelihood options for 
coastal communities most vulnerable to climate change. 
 
¶11. We also stress the need to promote affordable, environmentally 
sound, and renewable ocean technologies and know-how, particularly 
in developing countries, noting the relevant provisions in the 
UNFCCC. 
 
¶12. We invite Parties to the UNFCCC to consider developing and 
submitting climate change adaptation project proposals for coastal 
and ocean management to the Adaptation Fund Board for 
consideration. 
 
¶13. We will work, individually or collectively and in collaboration 
with relevant regional and international organizations and regional 
seas programmes, to enhance scientific monitoring activities in 
accordance with international law related to the marine environment 
and to develop ways and means to adapt to the effects of climate 
change on the ocean. 
 
¶14. We resolve to continue, at regional and national levels, to 
exchange lessons learned and best practices, and to enhance 
assessment of the vulnerability of oceans and coasts to the effects 
of climate change in order to facilitate the implementation of 
adaptation measures. 
 
¶15. We resolve to further establish and effectively manage marine 
protected areas, including representative resilient networks, in 
accordance with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS, and on 
the basis of the best available science, recognizing the importance 
of their contribution to ecosystem goods and services, and to 
contribute to the effort to conserve biodiversity, sustainable 
livelihoods and to adapt to climate change. 
 
¶16. We will promote the Large marine Ecosystem approach that 
enhances institutional and international cooperation among countries 
sharing marine ecosystems and their resources, due to its wide 
vision considering pollution, fisheries, primary production, 
environmental monitoring, socioeconomic development, and 
governance. 
 
¶17. We thank the United Nations Secretary-General for providing an 
overview of ongoing United Nations actions in key climate 
change-related areas, which provides useful information on oceans 
and climate activities. 
 
¶18. We encourage the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General 
to facilitate cooperation and coordination in the UN System to 
address climate change, to emphasize the importance of ensuring that 
activities relating to the ocean continue to be reflected in this 
process. 
 
¶19. We recognize the importance of improving understanding of the 
impact of climate change on the ocean and the need to consider ocean 
dimensions to inform adaptation and mitigation strategies, as 
appropriate, and in this regard we reiterate the contribution of the 
2009 World Ocean Conference. 
 
¶20. We welcome the efforts of the Coral Triangle Initiative as one 
of the means of carrying forward the vision of the 2009 World Ocean 
Conference. 
 
¶21. We reiterate the importance of achieving an effective outcome at 
the COP-15 of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen 2009 and invite parties to 
consider how the coastal and ocean dimension could be appropriately 
reflected in their decision. 
 
We express our recognition to the Government and people of the 
Republic of Indonesia for their initiative to convene the World 
Ocean Conference held in Manado and our deepest gratitude for their 
hospitality and generosity. 
 
 
HUME