The meeting, themed “New Maritime Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities”, is taking place from June 5 to 9 with the participation of nearly 100 representatives of UN member states and international organisations.
In her remarks, Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said Vietnam, which proposed the theme for the event, is fully aware of the importance of reforming, applying, and transferring maritime technologies to supporting sustainable maritime economic development, and minimising climate change impacts on coastal countries.
Stressing the crucial role of regional and international cooperation in developing and applying maritime technologies, she recommended countries promote the development and transfer of maritime science and technologies in fair and reasonable terms and conditions, in conformity with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The diplomat called for favourable conditions for developing countries to access advanced maritime technologies in preferential terms, adding that the application of those technologies needs to comply with UNCLOS – the comprehensive legal framework regulating all sea and ocean related activities.
On this occasion, Thoa highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in implementing the national strategy for sustainable maritime economic development by 2030, with a vision to 2045, and the national strategy on climate change by 2050, especially the application of maritime technologies to oil and gas exploration and exploitation, fishing, sea transportation, and hydro-meteorological forecasting.
At the meeting, Nguyen Ba Thuy, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, presented a report on the situation of marine hydro-meteorological monitoring and forecasting in Vietnam.
He also proposed some fields for strengthening international cooperation in to create conditions for developing countries to access new maritime technologies, including monitoring devices and forecasting technologies, to help with sustainable maritime economic development.
The IPC23 is the first among a series of sea and ocean related events at the UN in June, including a ceremony marking the World Ocean Day (June 8), the 33rd meeting of states parties to the UNCLOS, and a meeting to adopt an international legal document on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in sea areas beyond national jurisdiction.
