World Praises OOC 2018, Make More Commitments To Preserve Oceans

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In order to prove its strong commitment to protect and preserve the ocean, European Union (EU), through its European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, has made 50 commitments worth more than 550 million euros (US$625.45 million) since its participation in the first Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in 2014 in the United States.

Speaking at this year’s conference, European Commissioner for Environment,Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said that in tackling marine waste, the EU had adopted legally binding targets in reducing, reusing and recycling waste, including for microplastic dumping. “Second, during the 2017 OOC, we committed to investing in marine and maritime research. In that regard, we have exceeded our promise in its investment. Other investment also includes renewable marine energy,”  Vella said.

Third, in 2015, the EU decided to designate 10 percent of EU waters as a protected marine area. “There is still a lot to do. Marine pollution will always be a problem until all countries fight against it. Marine protected areas [MPAs] can deliver both conservation and economic funding. It needs incentives. Let us make the 2018 OOC another resounding success,” he added. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Ine Eriksen Soreide, said that the ocean defines us. Oceans gave way to life; [they are] where we came from. [The ocean] is our key to the future. The OOC is vital in driving the ocean agenda forward. Since 2014, the pledges and commitments have increased considerably. It is all about taking action. It is all about striking balance. The future’s share of food has to increase. The ocean economy could double its contribution to the global economy by 2030. But rich oceans depend on a clean ocean.

Ensuring sustainable use of the oceans is a matter of life and death. The oceans put healthy food on the table. At present, three out of 10 of the world’s commercial fish stocks are over exploited. It is our common responsibility to reverse this trend. Over two-thirds of export revenues come from ocean and coastal activities. Experience shows that we can harvest the ocean’s resources without harming it. Joint research by Russia and

Norway on cod stocks [show] that today’s cod stocks are the largest in the world, with an economic value of around U$2 billion. International cooperation is important. Over 75 tons of litter go into the sea within 5 minutes. We have to stop using the ocean as a dumpster. In 2018, our total contribution was $35 million for reducing our plastic waste. Norway has set aside $400 million for the next four years. Over the next 18 months, they will face hard work. Norway is hosting the OOC in 2019

Visiting distinguished statesman at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry said he was proud of the tremendous progress achieved by the Our Ocean Conference (OOC), which he initiated when he served as secretary of state under former president Barack Obama’s administration. “It has become a movement and we are still working. The movement is not only alive, but essential. As if the oceans is speaking to us, asking for a change. It’s enduring, because since the first OOC, they all reached their hands,” he said.

“The notion of one nation first is not the way to protect the ocean. It is a shared responsibility among all nations. It is a policy choice, fundamental of billions of people worldwide. It is about the next generations. This is not the time to rest on morals. When there is too much money, but still we do fishing; [there is] too little enforcement.” He emphasized that Illegal fishing was still a big threat to the world and it continued on an unmitigated pace.

“The notion of one nation first is not the way to protect the ocean. It is a shared responsibility among all nations. It is a policy choice, fundamental of billions of people worldwide. It is about the next generations. This is not the time to rest on morals. When there is too much money, but still we do fishing; [there is] too little enforcement.” He emphasized that Illegal fishing was still a big threat to the world and it continued on an unmitigated pace. “We can’t protect our oceans if we cannot show that it is done right. We can’t protect the ocean if don’t protect climate change. Time is running out,” he added.

“The world is committed to move to that direction. The question now is whether or not we will do what we need to do. We don’t need to wait for someone to discover the solution.” In his speech at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Monday, Nauru President Baron Waqa introduced the international audience to the three pillars his government uses to promote a blue economy in the small Pacific island and boost tourism and fishery. His country is aware, he added, that it did not have an abundant source of natural resources to attract investment and therefore, looked to the ocean as a means to survive.

“What can a tiny island of Pacific country can do? Plenty! I am tremendously proud of the role of the Pacific in promoting blue economy,” the president told the conference. With Nauru looking to the ocean as the foundation of its economy, he explained, the first pillar was the government’s support of businesses in the marine and fishery sector . In its second pillar, to address its depleting fish stocks, the country prioritized its search and implementation of innovative approaches to combat destructive fishing. “Three, preparing for the increasing growth of greenhouse gases. Combined effect of climate change is the biggest threat to the ocean. Coral reefs ecosystem is particularly affected,” Waqa said. The president also urged the conference to produce concrete results for the people. “Our victory should not be trapped on paper,” he emphasized.