The meeting will run through Friday and according to the hosts will help to better plan activities and understanding about the impacts of ocean environments, and to promote more sustainable marine industries in the global commitment “30×30” which is to protect at least 30 percent of land, freshwater and oceans by 2030.

During the opening of this event, Belize’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amalia Mai, reminded the need to protect the diversity of oceans and coasts according to the commitment agreements for states to strengthen this legal framework.

“We all know that plastic pollution, overfishing, the Sargasso explosion and climate change are delivering an all-out assault on our oceans and that the rate of warming has doubled in the last 20 years,” she said. In early 2024, Belize became the first Caribbean nation to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

jrr/jav/mem/ymr/ohh