Speech by the Minister of Martime Affairs at the High Level Thematic Debate in the UN "Life Below Water"

Portugal was closely engaged in promoting an autonomous Sustainable Development Goal dedicated to the oceans. From the beginning, we were a strong supporter of the process of elaboration of an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, following the RIO+20 document "The Future We Want".

Likewise, we are very much involved in the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects, now starting its third edition.

Additionally, we launched June as the "Month of the Sea" of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This "Month of the Sea" will include a High Level Ministerial Conference on sustainable blue economy in the 8th of June, World Ocean Day.

And we strongly support the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, as we are aware that the role of science and innovation is critical and crosscutting to every ocean aspect.

After the first UN Ocean Conference, that we co-facilitated alongside Singapore, we remain proudly engaged in co-hosting with Kenya the second UN Ocean Conference.

Read the speech at the High Level Thematic Debate in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the UN: Life Below Water