The General Assembly in its resolution 73/292 decided to convene the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The overarching theme of the Conference is “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships, and solutions”.

Preparatory Meeting as part of the preparatory process for the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference, the President of the General Assembly will convene a two-day preparatory meeting for the Conference in February 2020. In order to participate in the Preparatory Meeting in February 2020, relevant organizations not in consultative status with ECOSOC as well as those that were NOT accredited to the listed conferences below must express interest here and must apply for special accreditation prior to 15 November 2019.

• World Summit on Sustainable Development
• United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
• High-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
• Intergovernmental conference on an internationally legally binding instrument under the United Nations
• Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation as well as sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction
• Previous United Nations conferences on sustainable development of small island developing States, held in Barbados, Mauritius, and Samoa

Eligibility for the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference

In accordance with paragraphs 26-28 of resolution 73/292, the following participants may attend or be represented at the preparatory meeting and the Conference: all States Members of the United Nations, members of the specialized agencies and parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions as well as other international bodies; associate members of the regional commissions, organizations as well as bodies of the United Nations; and non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector as well as philanthropic organizations.

The United Nations will inform the organizations approved for participation by December 2019. The representatives, then, will be able to register individually in December 2019 for the February 2020 Preparatory Meeting. Specially-accredited entities will also be able to register for the Ocean Conference, which will open after the Preparatory Meeting. Applications for Special-accreditation may be submitted here until 15 November 2019. Stakeholder special-accreditation is available only for organizations. Individuals may not apply for special-accreditation.

How to apply for 2020 UN Ocean Conference?

Candidates can register for the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference and complete the online application form. Further, the candidates should provide the necessary documents for special-accreditation application:

1. URL of the organization’s website
2. Further, an annual report of the organization
3. Evidence of the legal status of the organization
4. Likewise, a motivation letter from the head of organization explaining relevance for the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference
5. Logo of organization in the photo field (not individual applicant)

Only organizations can apply for the special-accreditation to the Preparatory Meeting and the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference. This application is not for individuals.

Deadline

The application deadline for the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference is on 15 November 2019. Submission after the deadline is not acceptable.