PRESS RELEASE
President of the UN General Assembly addresses Ocean Issues in Senegal
27 March 2017
The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Peter Thomson, met today in Dakar with the H.E. Oumar Gueye, Senegal’s Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, to discuss Ocean issues in the lead-up to The Ocean Conference. The conference is mandated by the United Nations in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) and will be held in New York, 5-9 June.
Minister Gueye advised that the Government of Senegal has adopted a national plan that covers climate adaption and Ocean issues such as overfishing, marine pollution, acidification and Ocean warming. He assured President Thomson of the Government’s commitment to The Ocean Conference and highlighted Senegal’s strong interest in arising partnerships and project funding to achieve SDG 14 targets in Senegal.
The President commended Senegal’s strong engagement on Ocean issues and said he hoped this would extend to encouraging other countries of the region to attend The Ocean Conference at high levels, all with a view to conserving and sustainably managing West Africa’s marine resources.
Following their meeting, Minister Gueye arranged a field visit for President Thomson to a local fishing community at Quai de Pêche de Yoff. The President had expressed a wish to engage with Senegal’s fishers to learn more about their conditions and challenges.
After the visit to Yoff, the President said: “It was a great pleasure to visit this vibrant local fishing community. I learned a lot today about how Ocean issues like acidification, rising temperatures, overfishing and marine pollution affect the daily lives of fishermen. Understanding and acting upon the perspectives and expectations of artisanal fishers is an important component of SDG14 that will be covered in The Ocean Conference this June.”
President Thomson’s activities in Senegal are part of his visit to several African countries to build momentum and recognize commitment towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.