President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that with rising ocean temperatures, coral bleaching, and coastal erosion, greater priority and international cooperation are needed to protect the oceans.
The President made these remarks in a social media post shared today to mark World Oceans Day.
The President noted that World Oceans Day reminds us that healthy oceans are essential for survival and the future of this planet. Highlighting that the connection between the oceans and Maldivians is profoundly deep and personal, he stated that this is directly linked to our economy, food security, and environmental sustainability.
The President highlighted that forward-looking policies are being implemented based on scientific evidence to overcome challenges posed by climate change, in addition to sustainable fishing, strengthening marine research, maintaining reef health, and coral propagation and restoration. The President also noted that the purpose of this is to protect marine life for the benefit of the people and environmental safety.
Noting that greater priority and international cooperation are needed to protect the oceans amid increasing issues of ocean warming, coral bleaching, and coastal erosion, the President stated that our resolve today should be to work together to protect these oceans, which are the foundation of life.
June 8 of every year is marked as World Oceans Day. This is a day that reminds us of the importance of the oceans, which produce more than half of the world's oxygen, regulate the climate system, and serve as the foundation of life for billions of people. This year's theme is "Awaken New Depths."
The most important goal this year is to establish special marine protected areas to achieve the "30x30" target of protecting 30% of the world's land and ocean areas by 2030. Coinciding with the third "World Ocean Assessment" report released by the UN today, scientists and world leaders are currently working not just to protect the oceans, but on practical efforts to restore and rejuvenate marine life before time runs out.
