Mundus maris

2021 is a crucial year for the ocean. Not only are major conferences on biodiversity and climate expected to set us on pathways towards profoundly more responsible ways to organise our energy demands and change our production and consumption patterns accordingly; the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) promises advances in international cooperation to eliminate many white spots on ocean maps and enhance ocean literacy. We also expect advances in the on-going UN negotiations about protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 (30 X 30). This is necessary to safeguard biodiversity, avoid fishery collapse and build ocean resistance to climate change. And we continue to put pressure on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) negotiation to phase out harmful fisheries subsidies, which missed last year's deadline but is not at all off the table. On the contrary, it is one of the important steps to curb widespread Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing costing legitimate businesses and developing countries' fiscal authorities billions as well as constituting a major threat to viable and prosperous small-scale fisheries. We will continue our advocacy and awareness-raising activities in these directions and keep supporting the implementation of global Sustainable Development Goals and the Voluntary Guidelines for Ensuring Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries at local levels underpinned by academic work.