Singapore to send delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to UN Ocean Conference

The Star

7 hours ago

Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's national statement on the Nice Ocean Action Plan at the conference. -- ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE/ NICE, France (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore will be sending a delegation led by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan to the UN Ocean Conference, which will be held from Monday (June 9) to June 13 in Nice, France.
The Republic will serve as one of the vice-presidents of the conference, which supports the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on June 8.
Jointly hosted by France and Costa Rica, the summit convenes high-level representatives from governments, international and regional organisations and civil society.
Its aim is for countries to adopt an 'action-oriented and inter-governmentally agreed declaration', dubbed the Nice Ocean Action Plan, according to the United Nations.
MFA said in the statement – coincidentally issued on World Ocean Day – that Dr Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's national statement on the topic at the conference.
He will also speak on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) at an event on scientific cooperation for ocean health. Aosis is a grouping of 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states including Singapore, Palau, the Maldives and Belize.
The bloc is vocal at multilateral environmental events, such as the UN climate change conferences, often highlighting the urgency of climate action to stave off the rising seas that threaten to overwhelm them.
Dr Balakrishnan's schedule will include delivering a statement on behalf of Asean at a panel on sustainable maritime transport and coastal resilience; attending a high-level event on biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions; and meeting with the Pacific Small Island Developing States over lunch.
In addition, he will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the conference, MFA said.
A healthy ocean is critical for human health and well-being.
Other than being a source of seafood, recreation and a key transportation medium, the ocean also generates 50 per cent of the oxygen people need, absorbs 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by these emissions. Maritime transport moves more than 80 per cent of goods traded worldwide.
The UN Ocean Conference is in its third iteration, after earlier editions were held in 2017 and 2022.
The 2025 conference comes at a pivotal movement for ocean health, as it is the first ocean conference to be held since the adoption of other multilateral environmental treaties, which Singapore has also signed.
These include the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 with the aim of stopping, even reversing, nature loss, as well as the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, which Singapore helped to broker.
The conference also comes amid ongoing international negotiations to curb plastic pollution.
In 2023, Rena Lee, Singapore's Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, led talks that eventually resulted in the high seas treaty, a historic agreement that lays the groundwork for international collaboration to protect the areas outside of national jurisdictions.
Also known as the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, it was a treaty more than 15 years in the making, including over four years of formal talks.
MFA said Dr Balakrishnan will attend the conference in Nice from June 9 to 12, and visit Paris from June 12 to 13.
In Paris, he will be guest of honour at a reception commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and France. -- The Straits Times/ANN