Blue Leaders

About Blue Leaders

• The Blue Leaders are an ambitious group of countries calling for urgent action to save the global ocean in the face of the climate crisis, overfishing, pollution, and other threats.
• The Blue Leaders are committed to two major goals: 
  • Securing a new international target to protect at least 30% of the global ocean through a network of highly and fully protected marine areas by 2030.
  • The rapid and successful conclusion of a new High Seas Treaty that provides for establishment of fully and highly protected marine areas in the high seas and strengthens management of human activities outside protected areas.
• The first Blue Leaders event took place in New York on the margins of the 2019 United Nations General Assembly and the second in Madrid, Spain during the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, ‘The Blue COP.’
• At each of these events the Blue Leaders have championed the call to realize protection of 30% of the ocean by 2030 (30x30) in that they are focused on calling for 30% to be fully and highly protected.
  • Fully protected” means that no extractive or destructive activities are allowed and “highly protected” means only light extractive activities, such as subsistence or small-scale fishing with minimal impact, are allowed.
  • Fully protected ocean parks where extractive, polluting, and destructive human pursuits are banned provide sanctuaries for ocean wildlife.
• Member countries: The group of Blue Leaders has 24 countries as its members.
• India is not a member of this group.

Q1) What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

The SDGs/Global Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs framework sets targets for 231 unique indicators across 17 SDG goals related to economic development, social welfare, and environmental sustainability, to be met by 2030.

Source: Countries hope to bring BBNJ or High Seas treaty into force by 2025; only 2 have ratified it so far