"The hosting of OOC is a great example of Indonesia`s commitment to addressing various challenges facing our ocean," Foreign Minister Marsudi noted in her remarks at the opening of the 2018 OOC held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center.
Minister Marsudi remarked that the Indonesian government was committed to conserving the sea and continuing to maintain the sustainability of marine resources. The commitment has also been implemented in Indonesia`s foreign policy and diplomacy on the international scene.
"Indonesia has committed to preserve our oceans and to enshrine its sustainability. In recent years, Indonesia`s maritime diplomacy has been more obvious and has become an integral part of Indonesian foreign policy complementing and enhancing our active diplomacy on peace and humanitarian issues at the regional and global levels," she remarked.
Marsudi highlighted that the OOC 2018 hosted by Indonesia is highly strategic for several reasons, one being that the OOC 2018 is a multistakeholder meeting allowing all key players to contribute in preserving oceans. The OOC 2018 not only involved government actors but also multi-stakeholders, including the private sector, academics, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, youth, and practitioners in the marine sector.
In addition, Marsudi explained that the OOC 2018 is oriented towards actions to complement the measures adopted at other forums on ocean-related issues.
"For Indonesia, we will contribute to advancing the OOC cause to preserve our ocean and ensure its sustainability. Indonesia hopes that the OOC will continue to be innovative, including in developing a new mechanism that can evaluate the progress we had here," the minister stated.
OOC 2018 is the first time Our Ocean Conference being held in Asia, and the conference will not only gather new commitments from stakeholders but also encourage the realization of commitments submitted between 2014 and 2017. So far, the OOC has gathered over 600 commitments valued at over US$18 billion and created 12.4 million square kilometers of marine protected areas.
The 2018 OOC is one of Indonesia`s concrete commitments in implementing maritime diplomacy and the vision of making the nation a "World Maritime Axis."
This conference is expected to result in measured, real, and sustainably impacted commitments for maritime cooperation among countries.
Editing by Fardah
Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
