The Ministry of Home Affairs is pleased to advise that the Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Walter Roban, JP, MP, represented Bermuda at the 9th Our Ocean Conference held in Greece, which concluded earlier today.
Started by the U.S. Department of State in 2014, the former Secretary of State and U.S. Presidential Climate Advisor, John Kerry, gave a keynote address at this year's Our Ocean Conference, held from the 15th to 17th of April 2024.
The theme of the 2024 conference is "An Ocean of Potential", and the issues discussed included:
- Sustainable tourism and sustainable blue economy
- Reduction of marine plastic pollution
- Effective management of Marine Protected Areas, and
- Greening of the shipping sector
On the 15th of April, Minister Roban, in his capacity as the Chair, participated in two events as part of the Blue Prosperity Leaders Forum Roundtable, where he shared that Bermuda had released the final draft of Bermuda's Blue Prosperity Plan. Organised by the Waitt Institute and the U.S. Department of State, the event included leaders and representatives from the Azores, Kingdom of Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, and Maldives. Minister Roban also shared the stage with Former Secretary John Kerry and current Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer Littlejohn at the event.
On the 16th of April, Minister Roban was invited to participate and address an audience of country representatives, global foundations, charities, and ocean advocates about Bermuda and its leadership of the Sargasso Sea Commission. The event, entitled "High Ambition and Partnerships for the High Seas", was held to support ratification of the High Seas Treaty. The Minister expressed Bermuda's support for the aspirations of the treaty and the island’s continued willingness to pioneer global actions to protect the high seas. He also participated in a panel discussion on the 17th of April at the main Plenary on Sustainable Tourism - Sustainable Blue Economy.
Following these engagements and events, Minister Roban explained, "I am happy to have had this opportunity to speak alongside government leaders from across the globe and share Bermuda's strategies for a sustainable blue economy on the world stage. Being here is also an opportunity to learn from other leaders in this space on what works and how to use that information to strengthen and enhance Bermuda's effort in achieving our own sustainable blue economy goals."