Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim has departed to participate in the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference.
The conference, held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, aims to accelerate measures for the sustainable use and protection of oceans and marine resources, and to secure the necessary resources for these efforts. The meeting will highlight the actions required to expedite the achievement of the UN's 14th Sustainable Development Goal.
By participating in this conference, Minister Thoriq Ibrahim will have the opportunity to share information regarding the environmental challenges faced by the Maldives and the efforts being made by the country to protect its oceans and marine life.
Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam is participating as the most senior official representing the Maldives at this conference. Minister Shiyam has already arrived in France and is scheduled to speak at the opening session of the conference. While the Maldives is set to participate in various sessions of the conference, one of the most important points the country will advocate for is the need for greater international recognition of the efforts made by countries that sustainably use marine resources while protecting the fragile marine environment. Furthermore, he will advocate for the importance of increasing internationally allocated funds for the protection of the environment and marine resources. He will also emphasize the need to establish a system with special privileges for environmentally vulnerable countries like the Maldives, and for countries that are already implementing adequate measures to protect the environment and sustainably use marine resources, when providing assistance through such funds.
Additionally, he will highlight that despite the Maldives' tuna fishery being the most environmentally friendly in the world, the country bears one of the highest tariff burdens among small island nations exporting fish products, and will explain the challenges this poses for the Maldives in competing on an equal footing in the fish trade. He will also advocate at the international level for the importance of setting tariffs on fish products in a way that promotes and empowers sustainable fishing practices.
A special session initiated by the Maldives is scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference. According to the Fisheries Ministry, this session will feature presentations by technical experts in the field and facilitate broad discussions and exchanges of ideas on the measures needed at both national and international levels to ensure that small-scale fisheries in countries like the Maldives are developed sustainably within a planned, managed, and regulated system.
