The first international meeting of Ocean Ambassadors was held in Malta on 2 August 2019, bringing together for the first time the United Nations, the European Union, the Commonwealth, global ocean ambassadors and other organisations to discuss the protection and restoration of the world’s ocean for current and future generations.
The event was organised by the Maltese Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion headed by Minister Carmelo Abela together with UN Special Envoy for the Oceans, Ambassador Peter Thomson. The meeting focused on the role of Ocean Ambassadors and encourage other states to appoint similar representatives. Ocean Ambassadors have a crucial role to play at the both the national and the international level.
Addressing the Ocean Ambassadors were the European Commissioner Karmenu Vella and Commonwealth Secretary General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, the President of the Intergovernmental Conference on the BBNJ Ambassador Rena Lee, as well as Ambassador Vidar Helgesen representing the Norwegian government’s initiative on a sustainable ocean economy.
In his speech, the EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella stated that “all of us here are united by one thing: our love for the ocean. And our determination to preserve and protect it for those that come after us. Let’s make sure that using and protecting the oceans become two sides of the same coin”. Click here to access the Commissioner’s full speech.
Also present were the representatives of UN Bodies and International Organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN Development Programme, the European Commission, the EU Presidency, the Commonwealth Secretariat as well as states with a special interest in the Oceans and hosts of upcoming international events on Oceans.​
