The Environment

Creating a UN Special Envoy for the Ocean Is an Important Step

September 13, 2017  • Sylvia Earle & David Shaw

On Tuesday United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Peter Thomson of Fiji to be UN’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. It’s a position that we at the Aspen High Seas Initiative have called for as part of our comprehensive plan for ocean stewardship.

Sylvia Earle and David Shaw, co-chairs of the Aspen High Seas Initiative, issued the following joint statement: “We are thrilled that the United Nations Secretary-General has created a UN Special Envoy for the Ocean that will give a powerful voice to ocean conservation and stewardship. This news could not come at a more critical time, given the discussions around the governance of the high seas and opportunities to continue to protect ocean areas and resources. We congratulate Peter Thomson and look forward to working with him on this important agenda for our world.”

To find out more about the Aspen High Seas Initiative’s comprehensive plan for ocean stewardship, watch the panel discussion from Aspen Ideas Festival with Sylvia Earle, David Shaw, Barbara Block, and Essau Sinnok moderated by Elliot Gerson, below: