Opening address by the Prime Minister at the One Ocean Summit

The speech as delivered

Introduction – the history

Thank you so much, distinguished friends of the ocean, and thank you for organising this conference again. It is good to be back here.

As I just said to the County Mayor of Vestland – keep on organising these conferences, because they are important. You know, I have often stated – from my perspective – that “If Vestland succeeds, Norway succeeds” – and that is to put into perspective that what we do on oceans, climate and the links between industry, fisheries, agriculture, knowledge etc., when putting it all together – it is all here, actually, so thank you for bringing us together.

And this hall – of course – during this year has a very special meaning. We often talk about Håkonshallen – being a unique building in Norway. Now “Magnus Lagabøte” is also lying at the port here – as a coastguard vessel. This year, we are celebrating 750 years of his ’Landsloven’. And reading about that, you know, it is fascinating – when you speak here, to ask: how was Vågen back in the days of king Håkon, and after him, during king Magnus? There were dozens of Viking ships along here. But what I read in the story about Magnus was the following: It was not dozens of ships – no, far more. When he went in the 1250s to the Orkney Islands, Magnus, there were more than 300 ships, and approximately 100 crew on each ship. That makes a total number of 30.000 people. And historians say that when Håkon went to Scotland in 1261, it was probably the biggest naval operation ever in the North Sea.

Well, that was one way to use the oceans. I just wanted to make that remark because it really puts into perspective what this is all about.

I have three main angles for my introductory comments, dear friends,

First, on Norway's international commitments.

Then, on sustainable management.

And finally, on energy and industries.

And I thought I would do this by updating you – from my perspective – since I spoke here one year ago.

Following-up Norway’s international commitments

So, what have we achieved?

I have with me the Minister for Fisheries and Ocean, Cecilie Myrseth. We have been working hard on this issue domestically but also internationally. And what we try to achieve is this balance between conservation and use of our ocean resources. This is the trick. We are not closing down the oceans.

Some places we have to do that, but how do we find that balance? “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources”, That is the SDG 14. So, for me that is a question of coexistence and how do we make that work.

And I would say, you know, because there is so much to be depressed about these days, that on ocean matters I have seen some lights of optimism in the sense that we have been able to work on some very substantial issues a time when so many other processes are breaking down in the international polarized, devised world. So, when we work on other issues, we should not be depressed on oceans. I think we have this obvious opportunity to unite around some common issues.

I believe that the COP in Dubai, the UN Climate Conference, pointed in a direction which was surprisingly constructive compared to predictions. It is always good to have low predictions because it doesn't take so much to surprise. I think that what we achieved in Dubai was something which was of real significance.

And John Kerry, who I worked with in Dubai and afterwards, stressed that – very actively – in the way he worked in Dubai and the way we worked together, especially on green shipping. Because he and I launched an initiative back in Sharm el-Sheikh the year before, calling the shipping industry to come forward. And we have no institution or mechanism to do that. But when we met in Dubai, we saw that the shipping industry is about to take some remarkable commitments. – Because they know that the ships they build now will be there for the next 40 years. So, about the energy they will use, the way they will be sailing, the corridors they will be sailing; all of that is up now.

I was also pleased to see that Norwegian companies were in front of that. This is a competitive business. But on the standards on sustainable shipping, they will have to agree on the principles. And then, from that platform, they can go on and compete.

At home, and Cecilie will certainly be talking about this, we are working for new shipping segments like ferries, aquaculture vessels and offshore vessels, making them electric, non-pollutant, helped with support from Enova and other mechanisms.

We are also establishing marine climate partnerships, as we do with the industry. We also do that with the marine sector.

The EU has concluded a framework providing a price on emissions from shipping. So, we are bringing the quota system into the shipping sector, or bringing the shipping sector into the quota system – an important step.

In the Nordic region, we would like to establish green shipping corridors. So, a number of initiatives have come this last year – and that is positive.

Moving north, Norway is chairing the Arctic Council. And why is not the Arctic Council breaking down – because of Russia and Ukraine? It is partly because I think Norway and the people working on the Arctic Council have been able to carefully steer the Arctic Council into this complex environment without having it break down. It is complex, but the Arctic Council is still functioning, it is still working. And it is critical that it is working, because we need to have international collaboration among Arctic coastal states, but also all the other observers and participants. And the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan guides our work. And I see faces, familiar faces here in the room, who some 20 or 30 years ago contributed to the Arctic assessment of climate change. This was the canary in the coal mine, you know, really telling the world about climate change. It came from knowledge in the Arctic. So, we have to keep on working on updating that knowledge.

Then, Norway recently signed a new agreement with UNESCO and the IOC, not the International Olympic Committee, friends, but the International Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, reaffirming our support to the Ocean Science Decade. And now we have a very distinguished and experienced Norwegian, Vidar Helgesen, former minister, heading that commission in UNESCO. And I am very happy to see that Vidar is taking on this. This proves that we will be pushing also from Norwegian side.

Now let us also recall – and that was at the time of our meeting last year – the groundbreaking agreement on BBNJ, the UN agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity. I had the opportunity to sign on behalf of Norway on the first day of the UN General Assembly, back in September, in New York.

And then the ever more important issue of plastic pollution and marine litter. There is a process going on here to reign that in and to get regulations going. And the next multilateral negotiations will take place in Canada in a few days. Some of you may be going there. – Good luck. It is an important work. The goal is to conclude at the next session in South Korea in November. And such an agreement will be historic. I have raised that with the Prime Minister of South Korea. And they are focusing on making this succeed.

Meanwhile, we will extend and renew our development program to combat marine litter and microplastics with our partners.

And then, as I have mentioned, I co-chair the High-level panel for sustainable ocean economy, which is a group of willing countries representing about 50% of the world’s oceans, together with the President of Palau. And the Panel members now cover, as I said, half of the exclusive economic zones. We have commissioned research from around the world; inputs from 350 experts from 54 countries to get knowledge on how the ocean interlinks with the atmosphere, what the ocean can do in order to reach climate targets.

Sustainable management – in Norway

And the High-level panel brings me to my second point, friends, which is on sustainable management. – Because we have to manage the ocean, but we have to do it in a sustainable way.

In Norway, we have – 10 days ago – launched our new updated management plans, comprehensive management plans. It is a long and complicated word – and work – but I think it is covering some of the most advanced ways on how countries can work to put together knowledge for reasonable coexistence out there. We will ensure continued sustainable management of all Norwegian coastal and ocean areas.

On this and many other issues, I would salute the scientific community in Bergen, at the university, at the research centers around in this great city. You deliver always sound scientific facts, which is absolutely the foundation of these plans.

Our management plans will now be presented to the High-level panel that I chair, because the goal there is to have 100% sustainable ocean management. All countries in the panel are charged with coming back with sustainable plans. And I think we, with the latest now, we have updated our plans. This is not a new exercise; we have done it for 20 years. And we are also sharing experience on how we do it with countries who would like to copy and be inspired by this experience.

We are also preparing a new act that will provide the legal basis for designating the Marine Protection Act in our areas within national jurisdiction. This legislation will add substantially to our toolbox when it comes to protecting the ocean.

Now, we have also the emergence of new industries and increased activities, including from the Navy in the long-term defense plan. Obviously, the Navy and this part of the coast will be significantly in focus. So, the principles for the use of our ocean areas will have to be updated, and that will come in the Government's Ocean industry plan, putting all these elements together.

Then, there is the fisheries – let me just mention – our oldest ocean industry. Today, we are the second biggest exporter of seafood in the world. I could witness in Japan in December that half of the Norwegian mackerel catch is sold to Japan, and 70% of the mackerel the Japanese eat comes from Norway. It is very attractive in the supermarkets of Tokyo, I can tell you.

We also work closely with the UN-led Global Action Network for sustainable food promotion, adding a Norwegian experience to this.

Let me mention – as a last example – that we have been able in this very complex security environment to maintain our cooperation with Russia on fisheries in the Arctic waters. It would not have helped anybody, not least Ukraine or Europe, if we had cut off that cooperation with the risk of losing one of the world's most important fish stocks, the Norwegian Arctic cod. So, despite the demanding security landscape, we have been able to land agreements. It is a pretty tough environment up there now with reduced quotas, but that has been necessary in order to preserve the fisheries. I am certain that Cecilie will dive deeper into the seafood challenges during this conference.

So, in sum, politically and technically, we are updating our regulations for managing our ocean.

New industries

And then, I have come to my third and final point – on energy and new industries.

Briefly, on offshore wind, we are now moving forward. We use our experiences from oil and gas, and we move into the renewable chapter of harvesting energy from offshore wind. The first successful auction for areas in the North Sea has been launched and was landed – that is a milestone. We have ocean areas with rich wind resources.

Just outside here at Øygarden, we have Longship – CCS, commercial storage of CO2. During my two and a half years as Prime Minister, there is no other issue where I have seen a greater transition in Europe than on the issue of CCS. And the fact that we have done it for 20 years, means that also countries are looking to Norway on how we can move forward. CO2 management as a climate measure is absolutely important to succeed. Germany has stood out as our largest industry partner, also preparing a CCS strategy. And I signed a climate Green Alliance with the European Union on behalf of Norway in May last year. And here again, CCS is now on top of the EU's agenda, which I think is a landmark also for Norway's work over these years.

Then, there are seabed minerals. And I know this is a controversial issue, and I will meet with ‘Natur og Ungdom’ on the outside, and we will certainly hear from the Youth panel today. But here is my perspective, dear friends: There are rare minerals that will be needed for the green transition. At present, these minerals are about to be completely dominated in a kind of monopoly situation by China. That is a choice. Or it comes from children workforce in the middle of Africa. We will never allow any exploration from the Norwegian seabed or Norwegian sector that will be a threat to environment, climate or nature. But since we have these vast areas of seabed with the potential of seabed minerals, we should find out what is there and how can it be harvested in an appropriate way. We are opening up for mapping and research, and a White paper has been presented to Parliament, which has endorsed the strategy. But I can tell you that this is not the same as approving extraction of minerals. Licenses must be awarded, and before a license is authorized to start extraction, more knowledge must be collected, and we need to be certain. But I explained to my partners around the world that we can pull back and say, you know, leave this. But then, I think, we will also come into a very complex situation strategically with the dominance of these critical minerals from countries which we should not be completely dependent on.

So, on this, Norway is a large ocean nation. There are not 30.000 Viking crewmen out there. But we have long traditions to build on. And knowledge of the ocean is a part of, I believe, our national DNA, part of our identity. We live close to the coastline. We need a healthy ocean for generations to come. There are so many users of the sea, and now we have a new one, offshore wind, and we need to secure meaningful coexistence.

And I believe there is no other country with as multiple exposure to the sea as is Norway. And we take this responsibility with serious approach, and I believe also in Parliament there is an attention to this. And I can assure you that we look forward to work with this panel and this conference and bring forward the result from your work in our international work in the weeks to come.

Thank you for your attention.

 

• More information on the conference, see: One Ocean Week (English) - 15th of April One Ocean Summit