8th International Our Ocean Conference in Panama

HE Mrs Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Ambassador of Monaco to the USA and Canada, represented HSH the Sovereign Prince, His Government and His Foundation at the 8th International Conference "Our Ocean", which was held in Panama on 2nd and 3rd March.

This event, which took place in parallel with the UN Conference on Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction and which negotiations led to the "High Seas Treaty", brought together more than 600 representatives of governments, companies and NGOs to discuss the framework for the "Blue Economy" for the protection and sustainable use of the seas and the ocean.

 The participants focused on the following six issues:

• Climate change,
• Marine protected areas,
• Sustainable fisheries,
• Marine pollution,
• Sustainable blue economies,
• Maritime safety.

The aim of this international conference was to emphasise the need to commit to concrete actions through, among other things, voluntary contributions. More than 340 pledges totalling approximately 20 billion were made.

The following commitments stand out:

• The announcement by the United States of a sum of six billion USD for the various threats to the ocean;
• The European Union's pledge of USD 800 million for ocean protection programmes in 2023;
• The announcement by the Panamanian President, Laurentino Cortizo, of the signing of a decree extending the Banco Volcan protected maritime area (Caribbean Sea) from 14,000 to 93,000 square kilometres, i.e. almost 55% of his country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ),
• The announcement by Mr. Hervé Berville, French Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Sea, of an allocation of USD 400 million for the next five years for scientific research for the preservation of the ocean,
• The announcement by John Kerry, Special Climate Envoy of the President of the United States of America, of the "Green Shipping" initiative to create shipping lanes for low and zero carbon ships. The United States of America, the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Panama and the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership announced their intention to engage in technical cooperation to facilitate the establishment of these green shipping corridors.

These two days of work enabled Ambassador Maccario-Doyle to participate in a number of events and to establish numerous professional contacts likely to contribute to the Principality's actions in the fight against climate change. She thus took part in a meeting organised by the French Secretary of State Hervé Berville during which she reaffirmed, on behalf of the Government of Monaco, Monaco's support for the Call to Action for the protection of the seabed in the context of deep sea mining, launched as a follow-up to the COP15 which took place in Montreal in December 2022. On this occasion, she stressed that the Principality agreed with the need to ensure that deep sea mining activities could not be carried out without understanding the impact on the environment and marine biodiversity.

Furthermore, in the context of new projects announced at this conference, the Ambassador confirmed the participation of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, amounting to 180,000 USD, in a project aiming to assess the risks facing the Madagascan coastal town of Toamasina due to climate change. This project, developed jointly with the Stimson Center, will be launched next June.

She also participated in a lunch offered to the Heads of Delegations by the President of Panama with whom she had a brief meeting, as well as with Mr Surangel Whipps, President of Palau. The Ambassador also met with Mrs. Aïcha Ahmed Saqer Al khalifa, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the UN, with whom she discussed the Memorandum of Understanding signed last October by the Sovereign Prince and the Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the development of marinas and the regulation of pleasure boating.

The Ambassador had the opportunity to exchange with a number of NGO leaders and government representatives in charge of marine environmental issues, whom she informed of the projects and initiatives undertaken by the Principality in these fields, such as the 14th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative.