APPROACH

The Sustainable Oceans Alliance (SOA) and the TerraMar Project (TM) are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals protect the world's oceans and seas and secure the development of those people whose food, jobs, and culture rely on their vitality.

The organizations have identified three pathways to implementation: diplomacy, academia, and public relations. Experts will spearhead the effort along each pathway.

H.E. Ambassador Stuart Beck will lead the diplomatic pathway. Ambassador Beck was Palau's Ambassador to the United Nations for the past ten years and is the organization's Chairman. He led successful UN initiatives to end bottom trawling, stop shark finning, make global fisheries more equitable, and reframe climate change as an existential issue of international peace, security, and justice. In the past several months, Ambassador Beck has begun lobbying for an oceans and seas UN. Joining him in these efforts are Mr. Amir Dossal, Founder and Chairman of the Global Partnership Forum, creator of the UN Democracy Fund, and formerly the UN's chief liaison for partnerships; and Mr. Paolo Zampolli, Ambassador and Special Representative for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Business of Grenada.

Leading the academic pathway is Professor Michael Dorsey, SOA's Senior Advisor. A visiting Professor of Environmental Studies in the College of Environment at Wesleyan College, Professor Dorsey has decades of academic and public policy experience in the sustainability field. Professor Dorsey has at different times served as task force member of President William Jefferson Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development; a past Director on the Sierra Club's national board; and a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Advisory Committee.

Leading the public facing side is Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, TM's founder and director. TM is building the first global, sustainable community around oceans and the global commons; the 45 percent of the ocean that lies outside of any single country's jurisdiction. Through a digital social media platform that includes a daily newspaper, online educational resources, and other tools, TM connects and engages the public with the ocean and surrounding environmental issues. TM is also creating a pledge for individuals and communities concerned about oceans to send to the UN. This pledge expresses the desire for oceans to be managed sustainably. This ocean platform is unique in its breadth, reach, and aim for creating a standing and permanent 'citizenship' of the ocean.

ACTION PLAN

The Sustainable Oceans Alliance has targeted a number of inflection points to influence the UN process of incorporating the Sustainable development goals: Regional and interregional island meetings will produce official outcome documents that will form the basis of international negotiations. Events and deliverables include:

- 44th Pacific Islands Forum & Related Meetings, Majuro, Marshall Islands (3-6 September 2013): SOA will encourage a focus on oceans in the SDGs

- UN General Assembly, General Debate, New York, (24-30 September 2013): Meeting of high-level government officials. Here the Sustainable Oceans Alliance will have opportunity to gain early support.

- UN SDG Working Group meeting on Oceans, New York, (February 2014): This is the planned official SOA launch, where there will be expert side events for diplomats, reception for high-level officials, public online campaign; opportunity to announce support and gain further commitments

- World Oceans Day, (June 8, 2014 and 2015): Good opportunity for media awareness and campaign events

- 3rd Global Small Island Developing States Conference, Apia, Samoa (September 2014): There will be a partnership with the government of Samoa to raise the profile of oceans-related development issues among the conference's 193 countries, NGO, and civil society participants

- UN SDG Working Group Outcome (September 2014): Document will be secured

-UN Post-2015 Development Summit (September 2015): The SOA will help to secure oceans in the UN Post-2015 Development Summit

Furthermore, the TerraMar Project (TM) will utilize its social outreach to help create a social swell and movement around the SDG's. TM is engaging with fashion (creating a fashion line launching Sept 2013) and engaging with commerce (a cosmetics line to be announced Sept 2013) around ocean issues to expand its outreach. TM is also planning a media campaign in which videos and marketing will be ongoing for next 15 months. A new website for TM will be released in Sept 2013 incorporating the UN pledge.