MFF @ The Ocean Conference

MFF's participation

At the 'Mangroves: Scaling up initiatives to protect and restore a life-saving coastal ecosystem' side event on June 6, Aban Marker Kabraji, Regional Director of IUCN Asia will be providing thematic input on mangrove protection in Asia. Her presentation will focus on the importance of mangroves, threats to mangroves and their solutions, the impact of mangroves during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and MFF's work in protecting mangroves ecosystems in Asia. The side event is being organised by the government of Germany, represented by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and IUCN, and in cooperation with the Global Mangrove Alliance, initiated by Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and WWF.

At another side event on June 7, Ms Kabraji will highlight the unique role MFF plays in building the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems and in contributing to SDG 14: Life below Water. This side event is being organised by IUCN in collaboration with Sweden and France, and in cooperation with MFF and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development.

MFF has also partnered with the government of Pakistan to help it achieve its voluntary commitment to establish its first marine protected area (MPA). Pakistan is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which requires member states to declare at least 10% of their coastal areas MPAs before 2020; a resolution adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 also called for the designation of an MPA in Pakistan. The national coordinating body of MFF Pakistan, headed by the Pakistan Ministry of Climate Change, has thus far identified Astola Island, Churna Island, Miani Hor, Gwadar Bay and the Indus Swatch as possible MPA sites.

Voluntary Commitments

Voluntary commitments for the Conference are a series of initiatives undertaken by Governments, Intergovernmental Organizations, financial institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to contribute to the implementation of SDG14. MFF is taking part in Pakistan's commitment to designate the first ever marine protected area in Pakistan.