Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch has led the Moroccan delegation at the One Ocean Summit, a three-day international event. France’s President Emmanuel Macron greeted Akhannouch upon his arrival at the event on February 9.
The One Ocean Summit is taking place in Brest, France. Organized under the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, the international event seeks “to mobilize the international community to take tangible action towards preserving and supporting a healthy and sustainable ocean.”
Along with nearly 400 experts and 29 heads of states and governments, the Moroccan delegation has participated in the summit in person or online via videoconferencing or video messages.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also attended the three-day event.
Commenting on the summit, Azoulay tweeted that she was “at the #OneOceanSummit to mobilize governments and the private sector to invest more for the #ocean based on three pillars: know, educate, protect. @UNESCO is determined to federate in this way and announces new commitments.”
UNESCO also tweeted yesterday, noting that “less than 20% of the ocean has been explored so far. Our knowledge about the ocean remains in shallow waters. We must deepen our knowledge if we truly want to #SaveOurOcean!”
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In response to calls for saving oceans, One Ocean Summit provides a platform to launch initiatives to counter pollution and the impact of climate change, as well as protect the marine ecosystem, promote sustainable fisheries, and improve governance of the oceans, according to the organizers.
Additionally, the summit launches the second year of the “Ocean Decade.” The international initiative Ocean Decade (2021-2030) is designed to connect different stakeholders to “co-design and co-deliver solution-oriented research” and advance ocean literacy worldwide, as advanced scientific knowledge of the ocean could be helpful in protecting it.
In the Ocean Decade launch ceremony, Morocco expressed its commitment to the initiative’s objectives.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, represented the North African kingdom at the event.
In an address to UNESCO, the Princess reiterated King Mohammed VI’s commitment to the environmental and climate issues, recalling the country’s organization of COP 22 in Marrakech and support of initiatives such as the “Blue belt.”
In November 2018, Akhannouch represented Morocco at the Sustainable Blue Economy conference in Nairobi. In his previous role as Minister of Agriculture, Akhannouch urged countries and organizations “to join the initiative which aims to protect 10% of the world’s coastal and marine areas, restore degraded habitats and seabeds, and foster the emergence of greener fishing fleets.”
