Germany will continue its commitment to marine conservation. On the occasion of the third Our Ocean Conference in Washington, Gunther Adler, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, presented the activities of Germany’s Federal Government in the field of international marine conservation to senior representatives.
State Secretary Gunther Adler said: "A future without intact oceans is inconceivable. Humanity depends on them. We must therefore do everything possible to effectively protect our oceans and return to using them in a sustainable way. Large-scale, global measures are needed. Germany’s Federal Government is working to ensure we achieve this goal."
Under the German Presidency, a G7 action plan to combat marine litter was adopted in June 2015. The Federal Environment Ministry is currently working to see a regional expansion of the G7 action plan, also with a view to the upcoming G20 presidency. Gunther Adler explained: "It is only in close coordination and with the involvement of all stakeholders we can bring together from around the world that will we be able to save the oceans." Germany also supports the international efforts for the designation of marine protected areas. The Federal Government is preparing, for instance, a proposal to set up a marine protected area in the Weddell Sea and is advocating the designation of a marine protected area in the high seas of the Arctic under the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention).
At the invitation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, senior representatives from many countries are currently meeting in Washington for the Our Ocean Conference. The conference series was launched in 2014 by Secretary of State Kerry and aims to promote measures to protect the oceans and to ensure long-term marine conservation. President Barack Obama paid tribute to efforts to protect the oceans in a passionate speech. Next year, the conference will take place in Malta at the invitation of the European Commission.