United Nations – Nippon Foundation Fellowship Alumni

[Lilian Yon] This Deep-Water Coral National Natural Park is the number 57 in the National Natural Parks System and it’s located in the Caribbean Marine Zone of Colombia.

The Park was officially established on 24 May 2013 and about 142000 Ha will be protected from fisheries and potential oil exploitation.

This is a moment of celebration and joy for those who discovered these deep-water coral areas and believed from a very first moment that their extraordinary diversity should be protected.

A brilliant example to be follow!

For more information about this wonderful park go to the Colombian National Natural Parks System official website: http://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co/PNN/portel/libreria/php/frame_detalle.php?h_id=12418&patron=05.

*Picture taken from the article about this Park published on the website of the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo: http://www.eltiempo.com/vida-de-hoy/ecologia/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-12822479.html

[Cecilia Engler] UNESCO and the World Heritage Convention have prepared and posted this video on Marine World Heritage.  Worth looking at!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofwUTyTilgc

[Abbas] It is a great pleasure to announce that the 2013 alumni regional meeting will be held from 14 to 18 October in Suva in Fiji.

This regional meeting is an unique one, beyond the fact that it is the first alumni meeting in the Pacific, it is also the first time that a major regional organization will actively take part to one of our meetings.

Indeed, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has generously offered to host this event and high-level officials such as the Oceans Commissioner will attend this meeting.

Our regional meetings are taking a considerable step towards increasing our visibility and the next meeting will be a formidable opportunity to fully display the alumni knowledge and to prove that the network is an important actor in the world of oceans.

Keep up the good work Pacific!!

 This week Fellows have been busy observing the MSP Meeting, and they will also benefit from the presence of the representatives from the International Seabed Authority and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf who will provide them with briefings on each of the entities established by the Convention. Division’s webpage on the Meeting of States Parties is here

Mariamalia Rodriguez has shared this video posted by the World Economic Forum, with text by Sylvia Earle, to celebrate World Oceans Day and, most importantly, to take responsibility!

Follow the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5yuqoa_cxRc

Happy World Oceans Day to everyone!