ATHENS, Greece, CMC—Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries on Tuesday called for a multilateral multilateral approach to the transition to a “Blue economy” to harness the advantages of a new balance between economic development, social cohesion, and sustainability.
In addition, the leaders of Dominica and Grenada said that such an initiative would also allow the region to address some key challenges, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, unsustainable fishing, marine pollution, especially from plastics, and unsustainable maritime transport.
Addressing the ninth Our Ocean Conference here, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told delegates, “Clearly, there is a crisis and a need for urgent action.
“One of the important things we have to deal with in the world, especially the developed world, is to reduce carbon emission…and unless we get an obvious decision to reduce carbon emission, then we will be speaking and talking in futility,” Skerrit told the conference that is being held under the theme “Our Ocean – An Ocean of Potential.” Watch video
Skerrit told the delegates, including representatives from non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector, that countries at this conference organized by the government of Greece do so “at the mercy of the developed world.
“We have been to many of these engagements …and commend the government of Greece for hosting this important conference, but we need to see more concrete action taken.
“Everyone in the islands is taking action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on our oceans and our societies. But the developed world needs to do more.”
He said that in Dominica’s case, the island last year declared the first sperm whale reserve in the world and that more than 45 percent of the country is protected as a forest reserve, and 30 percent of the sea space is protected as a marine reserve.
“Interestingly, one of the marine reserves is located in a fishing village, and every fisherman in that community respects the law of the land in protecting the marine reserve.
‘So we have played our part, but more advocacy and action are needed. We speak about the problem, but sometimes we don’t speak about the solutions to the problem,” Skerrit said, adding, “I think the financing to put in place mitigation measures is needed now rather than later. Watch video
“Time is not on our side, and we have to ensure we have a better society, a better planet, and a better ocean for succeeding generations,” Skerrit told the two-day conference organizers. The conference’s organizers said four aspects are addressed explicitly as horizontal elements cutting across the six action areas.
In his address, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said he wanted to echo “the collective voices” of the Caribbean region, whose identities are deeply woven into the tapestry of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
He reiterated Skerrit’s position that “we have a crisis,” saying, “To some extent, we are preaching to the converted because…we are the ones grappling more than ever with the consequences of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution”.
He said that in the face of those challenges, the conference has been told of the many initiatives being implemented by affected states, and “in the case of Grenada, I share, for example, our integrated coastal zone management policy, our non-biodegradable waste control act, our ban on single-use plastics, and our blue economy roadmap.”
He said these initiatives “are a testament to our unwavering commitment to the sustainable utilization and development of our marine resources.”
Mitchell said these initiatives are also meant to fortify the island’s coastal resilience, including concerted efforts in coral restoration and sustainable fisheries management.
“We are committed to preserving our marine heritage and advancing the sustainable development of our exclusive economic zone,” Mitchell said, adding, “We made it a priority to continue to incorporate ambitious international sustainable plans as part of our commitment.”
He reminded delegates that Grenada has stood on this platform in the past, advocating for exceptional circumstances for the global small islands of big ocean states.
“We shared as we are doing today many of the solutions we think could help in addressing this crisis,” he said, noting that “in the absence of multilateralism and perhaps more importantly, the absence of those who create the crisis, our success will be limited.
“And so I call upon us, the big ocean states, to ensure that we are united in our approach in making sure that those whose actions require to help us to tackle these issues are not made for walking away with commitments that are not implemented.”
He said Grenada will ratify a number of conventions, including the BBNJ (Beyond National Jurisdiction) High Seas treaty. It will also advance negotiations of the plastic treaty at the upcoming conference in Canada, as well as initiatives to be dealt with at the SIDS conference in Antigua and Barbuda in May this year.
“But I want to highlight that without ensuring that our young people are intimately involved in this process, we will not make progress,” he said, adding that Grenada, in collaboration with UNESCO …is “pioneering an historic blue schools curriculum…starting in September to encourage marine literacy amongst our young people.”
Mitchell said he reaffirms Grenada’s commitment to multilateralism “in tackling the multiple crises facing our oceans, but as big island states, we need the large land countries creating this crisis to work hand in hand with us to tackle these challenges.”
Watch the video – Our Ocean Conference Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit.
Watch the video – Our Ocean Conference Grenada PM Dickon Mitchell.
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