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On the opening of COP21, the Sovereign Prince and 10 countries sign the DECLARATION "BECAUSE THE OCEAN?

Monaco

Yesterday evening, the eve of the official opening of COP21, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and the representatives of 10 states met in Paris for the event entitled Because the Ocean.

While the world is looking forward to the conclusion of a major agreement on the climate, the Ocean has been excluded from the negotiations.

Yet the ocean is the most important factor of the climate system, producing half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbing 90% of excess heat and 25% of the carbon we produce. However the ocean is endangered by climate change and CO2 emissions, causing serious threats to the marine ecosystems and populations living there. 

The representatives of 11 States signed the "Because the Ocean" declaration yesterday evening, urging the international community to implement measures in order to strengthen the resilience of the ocean faced with the impact of CO2 emissions and climate change.  They affirmed their commitment to:

  1.     Supporting Monaco’s request for a Special Report on the ocean by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
  2.     Reaching Sustainable Development Goal n° 14 focused on the Ocean and marine resources
  3.     Promoting an action plan for the Ocean within the context of CNUCCC.

The following signed the declaration:

  • -    H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco
  • -    The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong,
  • -    The President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau,
  • -    The French Minister for Ecology, Ségolène Royal,
  • -    The Canadian Minister of Environment, Catherine McKenna,
  • -    The Swedish Minister for Cooperation and Development, Isabella Lövin,
  • -    The Fijian Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, Inia Seruiratu,
  • -    The Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz,
  • -    Aruba's Minister of Regional Planning, Infrastructure and Integration, Oslin B. Sevinger,
  • -    The Director General of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, Dra. Amparo Martinez Arroyo, Mexico
  • -    OECD Permanent Deputy Representative, Rebekah Riley, New Zealand.

The "Because the Ocean" Initiative stemmed from a partnership between 6 organisations:

  • -    The Chilean Government
  • -    The French Government
  • -    The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
  • -    The Global Ocean Commission
  • -    The Policy Research Institute, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)
  • -    The French scientific research organisation Tara Expeditions.