UN General Assembly
2016

Global warming has several tragic consequences. One of them is related to the situation of the oceans. As we know, the sea surfaces have been severely neglected, even though they are critical for our common future. Monaco has a long-standing commitment to that issue, dating back to Prince Albert I, who was one of the founders of modern oceanography over 100 years ago. Since then, the Principality has taken action whenever the future of our seas was at stake. It did so in 2009, when it hosted 150 international scientists, who signed the Monaco Declaration, the first global warning about the acidification of the oceans. It also acted by taking on various targeted initiatives within the competent bodies, such as the one that made it possible for us to save bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. It also acted through the appeal, launched by Prince Albert II at the General Assembly in 2013, aimed at including what became Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the oceans in the 2030 Agenda. It continues to take action, month after month, by contributing to the development of protected coastal marine areas and to the future establishment of a network of protected areas on the high seas.