Monaco assumes Presidency of International Coral Reef Initiative

Autour de S.A.S. le Prince Souverain, de gauche à droite : Mme Brune Poirson, Secrétaire d'État auprès du Ministre de la Transition écologique et solidaire (France) ; Mme Susi Pudjiastuti, Ministre des Affaires Maritimes et des Pêches (Indonésie) et M. Russel Reichelt, Directeur de l’Autorité de gestion de l’Aire Marine Protégée de la Grande Barrière de Corail (Australie). © Eric Mathon/Palais Princier

On Wednesday 4 July 2018, France handed over the Presidency of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to Monaco, Australia and Indonesia during a ceremony at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (National Museum of Natural History) in Paris attended by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.

In his speech, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince underlined the enormous responsibility of human societies, whose development, largely based on short-term interests, is threatening the diversity of coral reefs. With this in mind, Monaco’s focus during its co-Presidency will be on strengthening political tools, improving the management and preservation of reefs, increasing understanding of how human interaction with reefs is changing and, finally, raising public awareness and attracting new sources of financial support.

Vice President of the Prince Albert II Foundation H.E. Mr Bernard Fautrier took part in a review of international commitments to the reefs, which addressed widespread coral-bleaching events and ocean acidification, both consequences of increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

For the Principality of Monaco, the co-Presidency of the ICRI until 2020 is part of a series of actions the country is taking to promote the preservation and understanding of coral reef ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on research into coral physiology at the Monaco Scientific Centre, whose projects are supported by the Prince’s Government, the Prince Albert II Foundation, and by the Coral Reef Life Declaration launched in October 2017 by the Sovereign Prince and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.

ICRI: https://www.icriforum.org/

International Year of the Reef 2018 (IYOR 2018): https://www.iyor2018.org/

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