Vivian Balakrishnan to deliver Singapore's statement at UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's national statement at the Second United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Monday (Jun 27).

Dr Balakrishnan is on a working visit to the Portuguese capital from Jun 27 to Jul 2.

At the UN Ocean Conference, Dr Balakrishnan will co-chair a High Level Symposium on Water Ministerial Roundtable and an Interactive Dialogue Session.

He will also participate in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South East Asia Small Island Developing States side event on Ocean Action in Support of Sustainable Development Goal 14.

The UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal, is expected to attract about 12,000 participants.

According to the UN, the first conference in 2017 was seen as a game changer in alerting the world to the ocean’s problems.

The conference in Lisbon will be about “providing solutions to those problems”, said Mr Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean.

During his trip, Dr Balakrishnan will call on the President of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva and meet Minister of Foreign Affairs João Cravinho.

He will also attend the inauguration ceremony for the expansion of the PSA Sines terminal.