Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NICE, France, June 10 (Xinhua) — Countries must respect science and international law when it comes to exploiting the seabed to prevent it from becoming a lawless “Wild West,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday at the opening of the third U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, southeastern France.
He said there was a need to balance legitimate concerns about environmental impacts with legitimate interests in using ocean resources to support economic sustainability and the transition to green energy. He stressed that future actions should be “science-based, precautionary and consistent with the rights and obligations enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
“I support the ongoing work of the International Seabed Authority on this important issue. The deep sea cannot become the Wild West,” the Secretary-General added.
The third UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, aims to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14): conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke out against deep-sea exploitation, warning that much of the seabed remains largely unexplored. “It is madness to exploit the deep sea before exploration has even begun… A moratorium on deep sea exploitation is an international imperative,” Macron said.
“The deep sea is not for sale, just like Greenland, Antarctica or the open sea,” he said.
In April, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing deep-sea mining, a unilateral move that drew criticism from the International Seabed Authority. –0–