The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, said, “If we want to protect our future, we need to save our oceans.”

Briefing reporters today (16 Jun) on the upcoming UN Ocean Conference, which will take place from 27 June to 1 July in Lisbon, Portugal, Liu Zhenmin said that governments will adopt a political declaration entitled ‘Our ocean, our future, our responsibility.’

He added, “Among others, this declaration welcomes the outcome of the recent United Nations Environment Assembly to develop an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution, including in a marine environment.”

The Under-Secretary-General highlighted that “while committed to taking science-based and innovative actions, the declaration calls for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls. It also recognizes the importance of indigenous and traditional local knowledge and the need for further support for developing countries, especially regarding capacity building, financing, and technology transfer.”

Liu Zhenmin noted that governments and other participants are also expected to announce new voluntary commitments in support of the ocean.

The Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of our societies laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and which will require major structural transformations and common shared solutions that are anchored in the SDGs.

To mobilize action, the Conference will seek to propel much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action.