United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has appointed Peter Thomson of Fiji as his Special Envoy for the Ocean, aiming at galvanizing concerted efforts to follow up on the outcomes of the United Nations Ocean Conference in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, maintaining the momentum for action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Mr Thomson will lead the United Nations advocacy and public outreach efforts inside and outside of the United Nations system, ensuring that the many positive outcomes of the Ocean Conference, including the close to 1,400 voluntary commitments, are fully analysed and implemented. He will also work with civil society, the scientific community, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders to coalesce and encourage their activities in support of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.
Mr Thomson brings a distinguished experience in diplomatic services, including as Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations and President of the seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly during which he provided visionary leadership in guiding the preparation of the Ocean Conference.
Elected President of the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority’s 2011-2012 session and President of the Council of the Authority’s 2015‑2016 session, Mr Thomson chaired the Group of 77 and China (2013) and served as President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Office for Programme Support (UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS) from 2014 to 2015. As a civil servant in the Government of Fiji, he devoted many years of his life to working in the fields of rural development and then foreign affairs.