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The Commonwealth and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for the Commonwealth Blue Charter in Larnaca to strengthen governance for a sustainable blue economy and support scientific research for ocean protection.
Under the supervision of Cyprus, the Centre of Excellence will take an active leadership role in developing policies for the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of marine resources for the benefit of the Commonwealth's island and coastal states. The Centre will also focus on sustainable aquaculture and marine research, development and innovation to support the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups led by a Commonwealth country.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed today at the inaugural Commonwealth Oceans Ministerial Meeting by the Commonwealth Secretary General Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, the Minister of State for Maritime Affairs of Cyprus Ms Marina Hadjimanolis and the Chief Executive Officer of Cyprus Institute for Sea and Shipping Mr. Zacharias Siokuros.
Speaking at the Summit, the Commonwealth Secretary General said: "Science is vital to addressing ocean-related challenges, yet there is a large gap between countries' capacity to engage in global ocean debates. The Blue Charter Centre of Excellence will help reduce disparities in access to marine knowledge and scientific capacity.
The Centre will also help improve coordination between policy makers and scientists and position the Commonwealth as a collective leader in evidence-based approaches to addressing ocean challenges."
Cyprus' Deputy Minister of State for Maritime Affairs Ms Marina Hadjimanoli said: "Cyprus recognises that the challenges facing our oceans are immense and cannot be tackled in isolation by any one nation. This is why we have adopted the Commonwealth Blue Charter.
It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I announce today that, after recent intensive efforts, we are ready to establish a Blue Charter Centre of Excellence in Cyprus by signing the relevant Memorandum of Understanding.
The aim of the Centre of Excellence is to strengthen governance and support marine research that will facilitate a sustainable approach to ocean protection and a sustainable, carbon-neutral blue economy.
The signing of the MoU is further proof that the Cyprus Government remains firm in its commitment to chart a path towards a more efficient, sustainable and prosperous future for our oceans and the blue economy."
The CEO of the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, Mr. Zacharias Siokuros, said: "The Cyprus Institute for Sea and Shipping has as its broader research objective to solve the most important challenges related to the Blue Economy, which are numerous, multidimensional and require cooperation not only between different scientific fields, but also between different geographical areas. The establishment of the Centre of Excellence will contribute to promoting cooperation between Commonwealth countries, as well as the development and transfer of expertise for an equitable, inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean protection and economic development."
At the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda, governments reiterated their support for the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the ambition to achieve the desired progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life in Water). At the same Summit, Cyprus offered to host a Blue Charter Centre of Excellence to support Commonwealth members in developing and supporting ocean research and education.
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