The Portuguese government believes that the Lisbon declaration that will result from the United Nations conference on the future of the oceans will force the world to change.
The political world, and the world of people who have the power to change behavior, every day.
These are objectives announced less than two weeks before the meeting starts.
As of the 14th, 143 countries and 1778 organizations, including foundations, universities, companies and civic institutions, had confirmed their presence at the United Nations Ocean Conference.
But, unlike usual, both the United Nations and the Portuguese organization believe that the number will still grow until the start of the plenary session, at Altice Arena, on the morning of the 27th.
Among the participants, the presence of 18 heads of state and many other heads of government, including Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António Costa.
Russia will be present, but sends a discreet delegation, led by an official specializing in the oceans.
The Foreign Minister clarified that, despite European Union sanctions on Russia, participation in UN meetings is protected by most international diplomatic rules.
The Lisbon conference is a joint organization of Portugal, Kenya and the United Nations and, for a week, will prepare the Lisbon declaration, which, according to Minister João Gomes Cravinho, will not have concrete objectives, but only commitments to change. .
The Minister of Economy and the Sea puts great hope in the future results of the presence, in Lisbon, of more than three thousand entrepreneurs who want to do business with the sea, in this spirit of saving the planet.
António Costa e Silva says that, for the Portuguese economy, this conference can be very important.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs goes further and speaks in Lisbon as a “matchmaker”, regarding the meetings that will take place between those who want to invest capital in these businesses and those who have business ideas to develop.
The conference will transform the area surrounding the Altice Arena into a true Park of Nations, as had happened in 1998, at the world exhibition, which also had “the oceans” as its theme.
Dozens of parallel events are planned throughout the city, still in the Cruise Terminal of the Port of Leixões, and in the Estoril Congress Center.
One of the most awaited moments of the Lisbon Conference will be the “March for the Oceans”, which will be the greatest expression of civil society’s participation in the initiative.
The summit begins on the 27th of this month, with a session in which António Guterres, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, will speak.