Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, participated this morning in the 3rd version of the Our Ocean Conference in Washington D.C. Minister Muñoz moderated the "Safeguarding Ocean Places" panel, focused on protection and creation of marine protected areas.

In his intervention, Minister Muñoz affirmed that "protecting the ocean is not only responsibility of Governments. The private sector and the civil society must also take part to achieve this". He also informed the international community of our country's progress in the commitments made at the second version of this Conference in October 2015 at Valparaíso. In that occasion, Chile committed to create a Marine Protected Area called Nazca Desventuradas and to elaborate a National Ocean Policy.

Looking at the future, Secretary of State announced the support of Chile to the member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on marine contamination and Chile's adherence to the "Safe Ocean Network" initiative launched by the United States which seeks to better cooperation and information exchange to fight against illegal fishing. He also announced Chile will soon be hosting the Marine Protected Areas Congress in La Serena in September 2017. "This is the future and what we are doing" concluded Minister Muñoz.

Many experts on ocean protection from the public and private sector participated in the session, such as Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer-in-residence; Jean Paul Adam, Minister of Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy of the Republic of Seychelles; Jamili Nais, Sabah Parks Director; and Alan Duncan, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Today Foreign Minister Muñoz held meetings with State Secretary of United States, John Kerry; Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alan Duncan; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Børge Brende; Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, Mrs. Cecile Humphrey; Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Caricom Affairs, Mrs. Syvanie Burton; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo, Robert Dussey; Minister of Foreign Affair of Uruguay, Rodolfo Nin Novoa; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Manuel A. González Sanz; and Minister of Environment in Lebanon, Mohammad Machnouk.