Thiruvananthapuram, June 6 (IANS) Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian has departed for France to participate in the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is being held in Nice, France.

Speaking to IANS before his departure, Cherian said the summit aims to address critical challenges confronting the oceans and inspire concrete actions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“I am taking part in the special event of the 3rd UNOC3 titled Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit. The coastal cities and regions are being affected by climate change, and the meeting I am taking part in is trying to find solutions to adapt to the changing times,” said Cherian.

He further said that the invitation to participate in the global summit was originally extended to the Chief Minister.

“The invitation was for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and he asked me to represent Kerala. This is a hot topic, and Kerala has been facing the aftereffects of climate change that has affected more than one million fisher folks in our state,” he told IANS.

The Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit will include mayors, governors, and administrators of coastal cities and regions around the world, as well as representatives of island states and key stakeholders involved in climate adaptation efforts.

Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Coalition, underlined the significance of the gathering.

“With the launch of the Coalition of coastal cities and regions (Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition), we — mayors, governors, and administrators of coastal communities — are building an initiative to adapt our territories, protect our populations, and preserve our biodiversity. Through this Coalition, we are giving ourselves every chance to face together the greatest challenge of the century: global climate change,” Estrosi said.

–IANS

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