The UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson revealed an ambitious plan on 22 June, to bring together all of the Government’s international oceans work under a single strategy for the first time.
The Government will agree and implement a new oceans strategy, which will cover work from departments including Defra, BEIS, DfT and DIT. The strategy will be developed over the coming months.
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The strategy will also provide a blueprint for international action by HMG towards the oceans that supports the long-term prosperity of the UK and the long-term health of the marine environment.
Speaking on a visit to the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Boris Johnson noted:
We need to improve and energise international ocean governance to protect the world’s seas and their ecosystems, to keep our people and goods safe, and to support sustainable economic growth, as well as to deliver our ambitious environmental commitments. Utilising expertise across government, Britain will stay at the leading edge of international marine excellence.
The Foreign Secretary’s visit at NOC builds on commitments made during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in April, where the FCO announced funding for the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme and a number of commitments to limit tplastic waste entering the oceans.
