16th Infofish World Tuna Trade Conference Virtual Pre Event

“Sustainability, Technological Innovation and Marketing: Drivers amidst COVID-19”

The UNSG’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson, delivered Keynote remarks virtually to the 16th Infofish World Tuna Trade Conference Virtual Pre-Event on the 14 October 2020. This pre-event comes as a virtual response to the continued strong interest from the global tuna industry for updates and information, since the full version of the event was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In his remarks, Ambassador Thomson emphasized that “One of the key lessons of the Covid Pandemic is that we are dependent upon balance between each other and with the natural world. SDG14.4 demands that we effectively regulate harvesting and end over-fishing, IUU fishing and destructive fishing practices, and implement science-based management plans to restore fish-stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.” 

Ambassador Thomson concluded his remarks by underlining that “The saying goes: the only constant is change, and there’s no doubting these days that the times they are a’changing. When as it will, the Covid-19 pandemic retreats, what new world will we enter as the inevitably tough times of the recovery phase evolve? For the sake of your children and those that come after them, I urge you to lift your gaze to view the Blue-Green Recovery Road that runs up ahead, a post-pandemic recovery road that embraces priorities of fostering sustainable economic development, creating mass employment, and promoting greater social equity.