UN Ocean Conference
GRÓ-FTP’s staff were among thousands of other participants attending the 2nd UN Ocean Conference, this time co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal in Lisbon June 27th to July 1st.
It was a great opportunity to link up with some of our former fellows and partner organisations. Also to catch up on latest developments in the progressing dialogue on solutions for a sustainably managed ocean.
Following a week of discussions and events governments and heads of state agreed on a new political declaration to Save Our Ocean.
Iceland’s prime minister, Ms Katrín Jakobsdóttir, addressed the opening ceremony. She described the importance of the ocean for Iceland’s prosperity and highlighted the interlinkages between climate and ocean issues.
“Here, Iceland, as an island state and a fishing nation, has both expertise and experience to share,” the prime minister said. She pointed out especially that the GRÓ-Fisheries Training Programme “in Reykjavik has proven to be an effective tool for capacity building”.
At the conference Iceland co-organised a well-attended side event on “blue food”. In it high-level participants discussed the importance of climate smart blue foods in global food systems and in progressing the Sustainable Development Goals.
The event marked the formal establishment of the Aquatic and Blue Food Coalition in which Iceland is a leading country.
Iceland´s minister of Environment Energy and Climate, Mr Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, also addressed the conference, and, together with the foreign minister of Singapore, Mr Vivian Balakrishnan, modified discussions on the law of the sea.
