Excellency’s, Members of the European Parliament, Representatives of the European Commission, Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning.

It is an honor and privilege to be able to chair the OCTA Ocean Conference – From the Poles to the Tropics, OCTs Blue Landscape”. The ocean is one of the topics that binds all of us as OCTs as we are all island nations surrounded by it.

One of the main problems of the ocean is that most people take it for granted. We don’t know how much it actually means. It is completely out of sight and out of mind for most of the world, and sometimes even for us who live on islands and see the ocean every day.

Oceans are the source of life. And it controls everything from the weather to the climate to even the oxygen we breathe.

Oceans also are the great protectors of humanity. The ocean is and has been protecting us by absorbing the heat and carbon dioxide. But protecting us has come at a great cost, its own health and sustainability.

Without a healthy ocean, you do not have a healthy planet. And ladies and gentlemen, our oceans are not healthy. And we need help to ensure this situation is altered.

Today’s conference is an excellent forum for this to take place, as we will have various sessions dealing with three main values that we have pertaining to oceans: environmental, economic and social.

First up this morning, we have the environmental values on the agenda. In recent decades, many marine populations have experienced major declines in abundance, but we still know little about where management interventions may help protect the highest levels of marine biodiversity.

Just look at our coral, which also is part of our rich biodiversity. In the last 30 years we have lost 50% of the world’s coral. This statistic is distressing for many reasons. Coral reefs provide or creates the environments where various societies catches their food. Without this people will go malnourished.

However, it goes even further. Some of the most advanced medicines come from the sea. Medicine that can be used as treatment for viruses, bacterial infections and even cancer medication. For this reason, we need to adequately protect our oceans.

One possible idea for this can be a strategic vision for achieving Sustainable Marine Resources within the Exclusive Economic Zone.

For most of us OCTs, our EEZ is larger than most of our territories on land.

There is a great need to ensure that it is managed by ourselves. This would need to happen in a sustainable manner in order to ensure that we benefit from economic activities such as fishing, but also ensure the biodiversity that exists.

This touches on the second session which is on economic values. Many of our countries makes use of the oceans for economic development and the development of our nation as a whole.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ocean is so much more that most people realize and its existence even effects those who do not think about it much or in areas that one does not think of. This is why I am pleased to see that towards the end of our day, we will be discussing the social value of oceans.

Usually this is a forgotten, however as people living on island, we have a special relationship with the ocean, as it is a part of our lives. During my travels, I have noticed that this relationship is shared with all island people, whether we live in the Poles or in the Tropics.

The final act of the day we will come together or as we say in Curaçao #HUNTU.

One of these steps we can all make today huntu, which is signing the OCT Declaration on Ocean. This declaration can be the start of a sustainable strategy to conserve our oceans, whilst making sure that it can aid in our development as well.

After the celebrations tonight however I expect everyone to be back here fresh and early to continue another packed day by addressing the challenges and solutions pertaining to our oceans.

It does not come at a surprise that we must talk about the effects of climate change on our oceans, as they are widespread and systematic.

Let us start off with the rise of sea temperature. When we hear that the temperature of the ocean has risen with 1 or 2 degrees, we may not think much of it at first. When you walk outside you usually don’t feel the difference if the temperature is 1 or 2 degrees higher.

But we should actually compare it to a human body. If there are any doctors in the room, what happens to a body if your temperature goes up 1 or 2 degrees? Your body suffers. The same happens for our oceans. And if left untreated, it could not just be fatal for the ocean, but for us as well.

Plastic is one of the dire issues that needs to be addressed, as there is more plastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. And I applaud countries, such as Turks and Caicos Islands who have banned the use of single use plastic bags.

Now you may be wondering, mister Prime Minister, why would you start of this conference off on such a grim note? It’s simple actually. Because it is still not too late for us to do something. It is in our power to turn the damage back and we can do this together ..huntu.

This is why our last session of this conference is dedicated to finding these partnerships. We do need to help of the international community including the European Commission to not just help us with funding, but to enable us; collaborate with us, and I am sure: we will not disappoint you.

There is a reason why I kept calling the ocean ours. I do not just mean that it belongs to OCTs alone, but to the entire world.

Unlike countries, the ocean does not have borders. The problem does not stay in one region, it spreads out. If an iceberg collapses and melts in Greenland, that can result in a higher sea level rise, which effects everyone else in the room.

This is why solutions that transcends borders and people are needed. The ocean has always been a great love of mine, as I believe it is for many of us.

And as John F. Kennedy once said: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.”

It is my sincere hope that this conference will be beneficial to us all to safeguard the ocean for all of us and for the many generations that are yet to come.

Quite simply: No ocean no life. No ocean no us.

Thank you.