Foreign Affairs Minister concludes his participation in the High-Level Event on Ocean Action in Costa Rica

This Saturday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, continued his participation in the activities and meetings of the High-Level Event on Ocean Action: “Immersed in Change”, which is being held in the city of San José, Costa Rica.

The event, held during the World Oceans Day, started with the “Second Meeting of the Americas for the Protection of the Ocean”, where the Minister intervined. The meeting was attended by representatives of the countries that make up this coalition: Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and Chile.

In his speech, the Foreign Affairs Minister stated that “Chile firmly believes that efforts to address the ocean crisis must be multilateral, multi-sectoral and at different levels. That is why the formation of this coalition, which provides a comprehensive framework for us to work together at various levels: locally, nationally and regionally, is so important. Through it, we can generate a space for collaboration, cooperation and coordination at the political-technical level among the coastal countries of the Americas”.

Afterwards, the Minister led the event “Implementation of the BBNJ Agreement: Chile and Valparaiso as the Seat of the BBNJ Secretariat”, an opportunity in which he highlighted the centrality of maritime affairs in Chilean foreign policy. This, in the context of Valparaiso's nomination as the world headquarters of this treaty.

“Chile has offered to host this Secretariat to contribute to its rapid implementation. This proposal is in line with our foreign policy, which prioritizes ocean issues. Chile has a long history of contributing to international maritime law, including through negotiations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and promoting the 200 nautical mile principle”, he said.

At the end of the day, the Foreign Affairs Minister participated in the panel “Implementation of International Treaties on Ocean Governance”, where he stressed the importance of ensuring the 30x30 goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

“Chile proposes that the BBNJ signatory countries build together a portfolio of Marine Protected Areas in the high seas, with the necessary technical preparation to be presented to the Conference of the Parties of the BBNJ when the agreement enters into force”, said the authority.

Regarding our country's efforts to advance in this work, Minister van Klaveren added that “Chile has already begun this path by gathering evidence so that the Nazca and Sala y Gómez submarine mountain ranges will be one of the first to be included”.