“And by working as one, It’s a race we can win. Let’s all be the champions the ocean needs. Let’s put an end to the ocean emergency and preserve this precious blue gift for our children and grandchildren,” the UN chief called.
The secretary general was speaking from the Mindelo Ocean Science Center, in São Vicente, a state-of-the-art facility housing large marine science equipment such as deep-sea robots, as well as electronics workshops and advanced laboratories up .
On Monday morning, when the building opened to Summit participants, it was seen as a clear manifestation of the bet Cape Verde was making to boost the archipelago’s green economy.
Looking through the huge doors that open onto the Port, the very harbor that has allowed many Cape Verdeans to leave in search of a better life, the Prime Minister noted how the ocean used to describe a feeling of longing and sadness. sad.
Today, Ulisses Correia e Silva explains, “it represents tourism, desalination, green economy, undersea fiber optic cables, clean energy, biotechnology, aquaculture, canning industry for exports, capacity centers and maritime events such as the Ocean Race.”
Photo UN/Mark Garten
‘Ocean is a matter of survival’
Speaking to UN News, United Nations Special Advisor on AfricaCristina Duarte, notes that because Cape Verde is a chain of 10 islands located off the Atlantic coast of West Africa, about 99.3% of the country’s territory is water.
Ms. Duarte, from Cape Verdean, was the country’s Minister of Finance, Planning and Public Administration from 2006 to 2016. “We may be creatures from the ocean rather than from the land,” she said. “For Cape Verde, the ocean is a matter of survival.”
“So preserve it [must be done] in the context of natural resource management, because we must derive from it what Cape Verde needs to thrive. Preserve it, but don’t forget that, for Cape Verde, it’s an economic resource,” explains Ms. Duarte.
Photo UN/Mark Garten
Race for the ocean
The Ocean Race first set sail in 1973, taking sailors around the world every three or four years.
Over the past four decades, as ocean health activist Danni Washington noted today at the Summit, sailors will see these islands from afar, or race through between them. Sometimes they were even rescued by the Cape Verdeans, but the race never stopped in the archipelago.
On Friday night, the country became the first West African country in the competition’s history to host a stopover.
Speaking at the Summit, the contest’s President, Richard Brisius, assured the United Nations Secretary-General of the participants’ commitment to the cause of ocean conservation.
“You have all of us at Ocean Race in your crew,” he said. “We are people of the ocean; We care about the ocean and we are passionate about doing our best.”
For his part, Mr. Guterres praised the “inspirational courage of the women and men sailing in this arduous six-month round-the-world race.”
What’s more, he says, it’s “inspirational” to know that each boat carries special equipment to collect scientific data to help ensure a healthy ocean for the future.
A vital resource at risk
For the UN Secretary-General, the Summit is also an opportunity to sound the alarm: “The ocean is life. The ocean is a livelihood. And the ocean is in trouble.”
The United Nations chief explained that about 35% of global fish stocks are overfished, global warming is pushing ocean temperatures to new heights, causing intense storms and more frequently, sea level rise as well as salinization of coastal lands and aquifers.
“Meanwhile, toxic chemicals and millions of tons of plastic waste are flooding coastal ecosystems – killing or injuring fish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals, entering into the food chain and end up being consumed by us,” Guterres stated.
According to United Nations estimates, by 2050, there could be more plastic in the sea than fish.
Photo UN/Mark Garten
From ‘super year’ to ‘super action’
Against this backdrop, the Secretary-General believes that the world took several important steps to correct its course last year.
These advances include a “historic agreement” in Nairobi to negotiate a binding global pact to control plastic pollutionUnited Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, where countries made hundreds of new voluntary pledges and commitments, and the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, which ended with countries agreeing on a goal of protecting 30% of land, water, coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030.
“Some have called 2022 the ocean’s ‘super year’. But the race is far from over. We need to make 2023 a “super action” year, so that we can end the ocean emergency once and for all,” noted Guterres.
For the head of the United Nations, the world urgently needs action in four fundamental ways: sustainable maritime industries; provide great assistance to developing countries; win the race against climate change; and ultimately deploying science, technology, and innovation on an unprecedented scale.
Turning to the financial sector, Mr. Guterres said that “developing countries are the victims of a morally bankrupt global financial system, designed by rich countries to benefit rich countries.” “.
“The bias is introduced into the system. It routinely denies developing countries – especially vulnerable middle-income countries and small island developing nations like Cape Verde – the concessional financing and debt relief they need.” he argued.
To combat climate change, Mr. Guterres called on ocean-based industries to follow the lead of the Ocean Race and limit their carbon emissions. For example, he says the shipping industry must commit to net zero emissions by 2050 and put in place credible plans to do so.
Closing the event, the head of the United Nations participated in the Relay4Nature ceremony, received the baton, began to circumnavigate the world in May 2021, passing hands, from one ocean advocate to another, as a symbolic appeal to world leaders to radically step up their ambitions to protect the seas.
The initiative begins with the United Nations Special Envoy for Oceans, Peter Thomsonwas later given the ‘Natural Baton’ to politicians such as French President Emmanuel Macron, celebrities like Jason Momoaand arrived in Cape Verde by boat, from Alicante, Spain, under the direction of Boris Herrmann, captain of Team Malizia.
Holding the iconic baton, the Secretary-General said he represented “a generation that has largely failed the oceans.”
Before handing it over to Odara dos Santos Brito, a student from Liceu Jorge Barbosa, in São Vicente, Mr. Guterres said he was “very, very grateful” to be able to give it to a generation he trusts to “island” reverse the mistakes we’ve made.” did, save the oceans, beat climate change, save the planet and save us all.”
Taking the baton, young Cape Verdean did not flinch. “We accept that commitment,” she said.
