Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Meeting: Guyana calls for decisive actions to protect vulnerable ecosystems

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill called for concrete steps to be taken to protect the vulnerable ecosystems, the management of fisheries, reduction of pollution, and the cleaning up of plastic waste.

He made this plea at the inaugural Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Meeting that was held in Paphos, Cyprus from April 18-19, 2024.
The summit sought to establish the principles, priorities and actions for a Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, as outlined in the Communiqué of the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Under the theme ‘Our Resilient Common Ocean: from Cyprus to Samoa’, Commonwealth Ocean Ministers gathered to establish a roadmap and timeframe to pave the way for the adoption of the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration during the forthcoming CHOGM in Samoa in October 2024.
During his presentation, Edghill reiterated that the health of the oceans and seas is inextricably linked to the health of the planet and all living things thereon.
As such, he noted that the importance of the conservation and protection of the global common space cannot be overemphasized while adding that in the interest of the survival of all the peoples of the world, and the development of each country, decisive action must be taken.
“In Guyana, we recognize the potential of harnessing our ocean resources to contribute even more to both climate change action and national development. Therefore, as a nation, we are embracing the further development of our marine resources along a blue economy pathway which embodies all the principles outlined in our economic development model: low carbon, resource efficiency and social inclusion,” Edghill pointed out.
He added that the ocean is viewed as being just as important as the forests. “They are both carbon sinks, both significant to the sustainable development of our national economy and reflected in our Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030,” he added.
He further told the conference that the Government of Guyana remains committed to responsibly managing all the economic sectors of the country for the benefit of all Guyanese, to ensure that the people achieve their legitimate development aspirations.
The LCDS 2030 therefore aims to enhance governance readiness to ensure the development of the ocean economy and the relevant regimes concerning compliance and enforcement to support the principles of sustainable management.
Supporting and developing the tools for sustainable management of the ocean economy, he noted will entail enhancing knowledge and bridging the science-policy interface through research; strengthening collaboration efforts among the Government, private sector, and relevant institutions for data sharing to generate research and expanding our knowledge of the dynamics of the ocean; leveraging investment via a plan to support the growth of various sectors relevant to the ocean; support capacity development to ensure inclusiveness in the ocean economy through all stages; establish and integrate Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to support the growth of all sectors, simultaneously addressing any possible resource use conflicts, and develop a national system, as well as, seek to partner with existing regional systems to undertake real-time ocean monitoring and surveillance to prevent and mitigate pollution-related issues and to operationalize ocean forecasting.
In addition, the minister alluded that Guyana’s Maritime Economy Plan was launched in January 2023 under the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme, embracing the further development of its marine resources along a blue economy pathway.
“We are currently working towards the development of a National Ocean Policy, Integrated Marine Management for Land-Based Pollution, a Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) and promoting the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).”
The landmark Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction represents a significant and timely enhancement of the global ocean governance framework.
“Having participated in the negotiations leading up to the finalization of the Agreement within the CARICOM grouping, a decision on its signature and subsequent ratification, is now under active consideration by the Government of Guyana,” Edghill added.
Meanwhile, he reiterated that the Government of Guyana is fully committed to working with the international community to strengthen ocean stewardship and promote policies for managing the ocean space sustainably and responsibly, to serve the greater good of humanity.