He signed the American Declaration for the Protection of the Oceans alongside other leaders of the region
He promised to establish a working plan with initiatives and actions to collaborate, coordinate, and share experiences that promote cooperation between the National Systems of Protected Marine Areas.
The president of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, signed today the declaration, "America for the Protection of the Oceans" alongside other leaders of the region with the end goal of advancing regional mechanisms that permit the development of scientific knowledge and the exchange of best practices.
This declaration's objective is to formalize the processes of declaring and implementing effective areas for marine protection.
The signing governments agreed to establish the coalition "America for the Protection of the Oceans", whose principal objective is to create a collaborative, cooperative, and coordinated space at the political level for marine protected areas and other effective measures for conservation-based in pacific areas.
Cortizo Cohen showed that in Panama, "we understand that our economic model is not sustainable for the long term if we do not appropriately preserve the environment and its resources".
"Our national politics for the protection of the oceans promotes converting our country into a model for the Latin American region where marine resources and coasts are protected, conserved,
valued, and utilized in a sustainable way to positively impact the quality of life of our people in an inclusive and participatory form with sustainable politics based on scientific and technological findings that can be implemented in a successful way within the legal system that guarantees that the oceans and seas will be respected", expressed Cortizo Cohen.
Cortizo Cohen affirmed that Panama will be dedicated as a "Blue Leader" with the goal of protecting the 30% of marine spaces which will demonstrate a great compromise with the objectives of the alliance for the 30X30 that promotes the protection of at least 30% of territorial waters in the signing countries in 2030.
Also, Panama recently unveiled their undertaking of "pro tempore" presidency of the Marine Passage of the Eastern Tropical Pacific or CMAR in Spanish with the signing of the compromise that the four countries will work together in a unified, political effort that recognizes the urgent need to protect and restore the health of our ocean and construct a sustainable, marine economy.
"We are pleased to announce that next year in Panama will be the headquarters of the International Conference Our Ocean, a global reunion that looks to form and mobilize the wishes of each government, private sector, and civil society in the compromise of protecting and maintaining the ocean from illegal fishing, marine contamination, climate change, and acidification among other threats", Cortizo Cohen added.
The declaration, "America for the Protection of the Oceans" includes the cooperation of indigenous populations and non-government entities like The Civil Society Organization, International Organisms, administrators from the Marine Protected Areas, other effective measures of conservation-based areas, and foundations which can collaborate and participate in the success of these objectives.
Cortizo Cohen as head of state will participate in the first plenary session for the opening of the IX Summit of the Americas, and later he will make his entrance into the Los Angeles Convention Center this afternoon.
The attending presidents who signed were Gabriel Boric from Chile, Guillermo Lasso from Ecuador, Ivan Duque from Colombia, Rodrigo Chaves from Costa Rica, Jose Pedro Castillo from Peru, Justin Trudeau from Canada, and John Kerry the presidential envoy for the environment from the United States.