United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the five-day forum, to which delegations from 187 countries, more than 50 of them led by heads of State and Government, are participating.

Guterres highlighted the conference’s objective to support Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focused on the conservation and sustainable management of oceans and marine resources.

At the opening ceremony of the event, the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, were elected as co-presidents.

Macron urged to move forward without setbacks in defense of the oceans, affirming, “We know what is at stake.”

He warned of climate change and its effects on the increase in temperature, the warming of waters, and the rise of extreme phenomena.

Chaves, in turn, stated that the oceans are crying out for help with messages such as coral bleaching, increasingly frequent storms, and damaged mangroves.

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