Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has stressed the need for responsible and sustainable ocean management at the high-level panel of Foreign Ministers in the "9th Our Ocean Conference" in Athens on Wednesday.
He also pointed the need for adopting a holistic approach to balance between sustainable management of the ocean for environmental conservation and socioeconomic development of people living in the proximity of the ocean.
Minister Hasan highlighted the initiatives taken by Bangladesh, a country with long Maritime border and Maritime history, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure sustainable ocean management and utilization of maritime resources to uplift the socioeconomic condition of the coastal population.
The Foreign Minister also called upon the world community to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty and allocate funds for the restoration of biodiversity of the Oceans as about 10 billion USD was committed by various countries for overall development of ecosystems and green shipping.
Foreign Ministers of Greece, Costa Rica, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe also made intervention and made national commitments at this conference concluding day panel discussion.