Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to achieve all targets of Sustainable Development Goal-14 — “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
He reaffirmed the pledge while delivering the country statement at the plenary session of the Second UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
The foreign minister attached importance to marine science for eradicating poverty, contributing to food security, conserving the world’s marine environment and resources, helping to predict and respond to natural and anthropogenic events and promoting the sustainable development of the oceans and seas in his statement.
Momen arrived in Lisbon Thursday on a two-day visit to the European country to lead a Bangladesh delegation to the conference.
Secretary of the Maritime Affairs Unit under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshed Alam and Bangladesh Ambassador to Portugal Tarik Ahsan were among the delegation members.
Momen said that Bangladesh settled the maritime boundary issues with both the neighbours and is poised to collaboratively utilise the resources under the able leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
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To eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, the government of Bangladesh declared an area totalling about 8.8 per cent of its exclusive economic zone as the marine protected areas and implemented in its National Plan of Action in 2019, read the release.
The government has amended Bangladesh Ship Recycle Act 2018 and set a target of compliance of the Hong Kong Convention by 2023, the minister said.
Besides, Bangladesh announced new actions aimed at ensuring safe ship recycling by 2023 and is the first amongst developing countries to take initiative to ban manufacture of single use plastic shopping bags, he said.
Stressing the importance of capacity development and even distribution of scientific knowledge, Momen said the disparities in scientific capacity in terms of financial, technological, and human resources between developed and developing countries must be addressed for sustainable management of the ocean.
He affirmed that Bangladesh is ready to cooperate in keeping with its capabilities to actively engage with the developed countries willing to transfer marine science and marine technology on fair and reasonable terms and conditions in accordance with the provisions of part XIV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
