In support of preparations for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the United Nations (UN) System in Georgetown collaborated with the French Diplomatic Office in Guyana to organise an edition of ‘Blue Talks’, a multi-stakeholder discussion and debate, a UN Guyana release said yesterday.
The UNOC3 is scheduled to take place in Nice, France in June 2025, and will be hosted by France and Costa Rica.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, who delivered the opening remarks ahead of World Oceans Day (June 8), highlighted Guyana’s commitment to “balance economic development and preservation of the environment.” Referencing that the 2025 Oceans Conference will be held under the theme “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”, Bharrat welcomed the statements from a group of more than 50 participants, whilst highlighting Guyana’s global climate leadership.
According to the release, these ‘Blue Talks’, which follow similar events planned by France and Costa Rica, focused on subjects directly relevant to Guyana’s coastal and oceanic ecosystems. Speakers from government agencies, the private sector, the UN System, civil society, and non-governmental organisations, spoke of issues regarding sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; financing sustainable ocean management, the diversification of the blue economy; the criticality of science, data, analytics and innovation in oceans management, as well as efforts to reduce all forms of marine pollution.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator, Yeşim Oruç, told participants that the 2025 Ocean Conference will seek to accelerate “Life Below Water”, which is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She highlighted that UN General Assembly resolution 78/128 “states a global emergency in our oceans: sea level rise, ocean heating, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation,” and as such, called on all stakeholders to urgently promote integrated, multi-stakeholder responses to promote sustainable use of the world’s oceans. She also welcomed the practical, action-oriented advice of participants.
This edition of the ‘Blue Talks’ is an initiative of the Chargé d’Affaires of the French Diplomatic Office in Guyana, Jean-Jacques Forté, who stated, “Guyana, as a coastal nation rich in vast oceanic resources, faces challenges that require a multidimensional and collaborative approach, urgent attention, and concerted action.”
Forté encouraged all stakeholders to continue contributing to further policy discussions and the formulation of nationally-agreed messages that will be taken to the 2025 Oceans Conference, whilst reaffirming France’s steadfast support for climate action and ocean sustainability, the release added.
