Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has called upon the international community to raise their level of ambition and commitment to the recovery of ocean health.
Whilst delivering his address as the Pacific Islands Forum Chair at the opening of the High-Level Plenary session on the occasion of the second Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal yesterday (28/06/22), the Prime Minister said nations around the world must also invest in sustainable ocean economies.
He said at the high-level segment that the ocean’s warming has made us witnesses to a staggering decline in marine life.
“Fisheries are our region’s most precious resource; we supply more than half of the world’s tuna alone and our nations will be following COP-15 closely to ensure that all life, including that below water, is protected in this critical year for biodiversity. We also hope to see an ambitious, legally-binding Treaty of the High Seas next month.”
“To stem the tidal wave of unregulated pollution crashing at our shores, we too look forward to the upcoming negotiations for a global treaty of plastics.”
United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency, Mr Antonio Guterres, in his opening remarks, said that we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what “I would call an “ocean emergency”.
He said preventing and reducing marine pollution of all kinds, both from land and sea-based sources is crucial.
The UN Chief also urged stakeholders to invest in sustainable ocean economies for food, renewable energy, and livelihoods.
Co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya, the Ocean Conference seeks to propel much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bainimarama said that Fiji totally condemned any threat of ocean dumps of nuclear waste as this would be both catastrophic and horribly traumatic for the Pacific people who still suffer from the nuclear testing inflicted on our region.
“We also reaffirm our PIF Leaders’ call for a dedicated ocean work programme in the UNFCCC built on the Glasgow decision and urge a dedicated agenda at COP-27 for Parties to review the summary report of the Bonn dialogue. We need a healthy climate and ocean like we need food to eat and air to breathe.”
For the sake of our ocean and future, Prime Minister Bainimarama added that the Pacific Leaders will be resolute in keeping 1.5 alive in Egypt, as should anyone who cares about life below water or above it.
While highlighting Fiji’s important initiatives toward protecting our ocean, the Prime Minister said that we have the will to put resources behind the most far-reaching transformation in our history.
As part of our efforts to protect the ocean, Fiji has already banned deep seabed mining. By 2030, 100 percent of our waters will be sustainably managed, with 30% designated as marine protected areas.
“We’ve already banned single-use plastic bags and by 2030, we will ban virtually all single-use plastics and recycle all PET bottles. Ocean literacy will be a mandatory component of our education system, and we’ll slash carbon emissions in our shipping sector by 40%.”
Fiji, by 2030, will produce more than 160,000 metric tonnes of sustainably farmed and harvested ocean product, supporting over 53,000 new jobs on our way to supplying half of all blue foods from sustainable fisheries by 2035, and by 2050, Fiji will be a net-zero society.
The Head of the Fijian Government further added that the ocean is the planet’s healthiest set of lungs yet the least funded of all SDGs.
“We cannot leave Lisbon without scaling up ocean finance. No matter how ambitious or how big and blue Fiji’s commitment may be, our single effort isn’t enough. That is why I am here: To call on our partners for their support and on the world to follow our lead.”
Co-chair and President of Kenya, His Excellency, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta said that the time has come for world leaders to work together in scaling up conservation action driven by science and innovation to help solve challenges facing sustainability and health of global maritime resources.
“We urgently need to build an ocean-based economy where effective protection, sustainable production, and equitable prosperity go hand-in-hand.”
“We expect this conference to shift gear from proposals to action and we want action that is driven by science, technology, and innovation.”
