John Kerry to host Ocean conference in September

TIL Desk/World/Washington-US Secretary of State John Kerry will host the third “Our Ocean” conference here in September to tackle key issues like marine pollution, and climate- related impacts on the ocean. The two-day conference beginning September 16 is expected to be attended by world leaders, according to an official announcement.

The Secretary of State is understood to have sought the participation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The event titled “Our Ocean, One Future” will build on international commitments to protect the ocean made at the previous two conferences, and will partner with Georgetown University to engage the next generation of global ocean leaders, the State Department said in a statement yesterday.

Kerry had launched the inaugural Our Ocean conference in Washington, DC, in 2014. Chile hosted the second meeting last year. Together, these two events produced partnerships and initiatives valued at over USD 4 billion as well as commitments to protect nearly 6 million square kilometres of the ocean, an area almost twice the size of India, the statement said.

“As in years past, Our Ocean 2016 will bring together heads of state, scientists, business leaders, NGOs, and others to tackle key issues including marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and climate-related impacts on the ocean,” it added.