The head of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) said the international community must come up with a firm and strong framework of governance for oceans in the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

CCC vice chairperson and executive director Secretary Robert E.A. Borje made the statement during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change and launching of the 100-day mobilization for the UNOC3 held at the residence of France’s ambassador to the Philippines, Marie Fontanel, in Makati City on 26 February.

Borje said the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea opined that greenhouse gas emissions are considered a form of marine pollution.

“We hope that advisory opinion informs the process in Nice,” he said.

The CCC chief said that 10 years after the Manila declaration, “there’s still a lot of work to do.”

“We need to ramp up our, not just bilateral cooperation, but international cooperation on protecting and managing the world’s oceans,” Borje said.

“So, we don’t just really call on our partner countries’ governments to continue ramping up, not just support, but particularly for developing countries, so that we can really come up with a firm and strong framework of governance for our oceans,” he said.

UNOC3 will be held in Nice, France on 9 to 13 June.

The CCC will be participating the the different event’s meetings to provide a climate perspective to the oceans governance issues.

“I understand that there are several meetings scheduled by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the lead-up to the meetings. And we will be there to support that,” he said.