Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Oct 08, 2025

Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull attends UN Ocean Conference in Portugal

Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull attends UN Ocean Conference in Portugal

Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) is in Lisbon, Portugal attending the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference from June 27 to July 1, 2022.

According to a Government Information Services (GIS) press release on June 27, 2022, the goal of the UN Ocean Conference is to mobilise action and propel much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at bridging the gap between the current state of the ocean and the 2030 sustainable development goals that requires global ocean action, in particular, goal 14 of Life Below Water.

It said these solutions for a sustainably managed ocean will involve green technology and innovative uses of marine resources; they also include addressing the threats to health, ecology, economy, governance of the ocean, acidification, marine litter and pollution, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, and the loss of habitats and biodiversity.

The goal of the UN Ocean Conference is to mobilise action and propel much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at bridging the gap between the current state of the ocean and the 2030 sustainable development goals that requires global ocean action, in particular, goal 14 of Life Below Water.


'Excited for the opportunity'- Hon Turnbull


The Minister for Natural Resources and Labour shared his excitement for the opportunity to represent the Territory at the UN Ocean Conference. He said, “I am excited for the opportunity to represent the Territory at the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference. The oceans play an integral part in the economy and environment of the Virgin Islands, given that we have 200 nautical miles under our stewardship. With the right strategies in place, we have a remarkable opportunity to creatively diversify our economy. We must continue to find ways to protect the environment; provide educational opportunities and preserve our marine resources to ensure sustainability.”

He added, “Further to this, in light of climate change our efforts must be redoubled, and this conference will increase our capacity to discover the relevant solutions. We hope through this effort to advance our “Blue Economy” strategy, by building partnerships and gathering information to improve livelihoods through the sustainable use of the ocean.”

'Participation will highlight VI's work'- Smith-Abbott


Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, Mr Joseph Smith-Abbott, who is also in attendance, commented on the importance of the UN Ocean Conference. He said, “Participation at the meeting recognises the VI's long trajectory in the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. It will highlight the work that Government and various Non-governmental Organisations (NGO), private and civil society partners are undertaking to mitigate environmental degradation, restoration of coastal and marine habitats and offer opportunities for the development of the Blue Economy, charter industry, Shipping Registry, protected area management and other significant economic activities.”

The weeklong ocean conference will feature a variety of interactive plenary dialogues ranging from addressing marine pollution to leveraging interlinkages between Sustainable Development Goal 14 and other goals towards the implementation of the 2030 agenda. These interactive dialogues will contribute to bilateral exchanges with colleagues regionally and internationally to advance ocean conservation and the development of opportunities to enhance the sustainable use of the coastal and marine resources of the Territory.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×