(Picture caption: Palau is the first Pacific country and the first Small Island Developing State to host Our Ocean Conference.)
Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Aupito William Sio is in Palau to reinforce Aotearoa New Zealand’s commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of the Pacific at Our Ocean Conference.
The conference jointly hosted by the Republic of Palau and the United States takes place on April 13-14 and for the first time the conference will be hosted in the Pacific, and by a small island state.
Ahead of departing New Zealand at the weekend, Minister Sio said he hoped he could demonstrate Pacific leadership on ocean conservation, but also reconnect with Pacific partners after a long period of COVID-19 disruption.
“The Pacific is central to the lives, cultures and well-being of Aotearoa and our Pacific whanau,” Minister Sio says.
“At Our Ocean Conference, I will be encouraging progress on issues such as the conservation of marine environments and sustainable use of ocean resources.
“This year’s theme —Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity — draws on Palau’s history as an ocean society and focuses on the approach to Pacific issues of Pacific peoples.”
The annual Our Ocean Conference provides a platform for commitments and discussion on ocean conservation issues, galvanising efforts to protect and preserve the ocean.
As the first Pacific country and the first Small Island Developing State to host this conference, Palau will seek to highlight the realities of islands in the face of the ocean-climate crisis – particularly for the Pacific region.
The Our Ocean Conferences were started by the former US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“The ocean as a pathway for our enduring connection with the Pacific is central to Tātai Hono ,the recognition of deep and enduring whakapapa connections,” Minister Sio says.