Modalities for the 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 A/RES/70/303 oversee the preparatory process and to conclude the intergovernmental consultations on a “Call for Action” by May 2017; 18. Also requests the President of the General Assembly to convene a two day preparatory meeting, in February 2017, at Unite d Nations Headquarters in New York, to be chaired by the two co-facilitators, with interpretation services on an as-available basis, with a view to considering the themes for the partnership dialogues and elements for a “Call for Action”; 19. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a background note by the end of January 2017, including a proposal for themes of the partnership dialogues, for the preparatory meeting; 20. Requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to prepare concept papers on each of the themes of the partnership dialogues, taking into account the relevant oceans-related processes of the General Assembly, and in that regard invites the stakeholders referred to in paragraph 3 (c) above to submit inputs; 21. Requests the co-facilitators to present a concise draft “Call for Action” no later than March 2017, taking into account the deliberations of the preparatory meeting and other inputs, without prejudice to the processes established by the General Assembly in its resolution 69/292 of 19 June 2015; 22. Requests the President of the General Assembly to finalize the organizational arrangements for the Conference no later than April 2017; 23. Decides that the Conference and its preparatory process shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations, members of the specialized agencies and parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Se a, 7 recognizing that neither participation in the preparatory process and the Conference nor its outcome may affect the legal status of non-parties to the Convention or any other related agreements with regard to those instruments, or the legal status of partie s to the Convention or any other related agreements with regard to those instruments; 24. Invites other relevant stakeholders, including organizations and bodies of the United Nations, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector and philanthropic organizations, whose work is relevant to the Conference, accredited in accordance with the provisions set forth in annex II to the present resolution, to participate as observers in the Conference and its preparatory meeting; 25. Calls for the participation of associate members of the regional commissions in the Conference and the preparatory meeting, in t he same capacity specified for their participation in the global conferences on the sustainable development of small island developing States held in 1994, 2005 and 2014; 26. Decides that the accreditation to the Conference and the preparatory meeting shall be in accordance with the provisions set forth in annex II to the present resolution; 27. Requests the Secretary-General to provide appropriate support from all relevant parts of the Secretariat, and in cooperation with other relevant parts of the United Nations system, to the work of the Conference and to facilitate inter -agency _______________ 7 4/22 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1833, No. 31363.