The Black Sea is a maritime gateway to the global space for Georgia

Georgian Minister of Environment and Agriculture David Songulashvili delivered a speech at the UN High-Level Conference in Nice, France. The conference was attended by leaders, environment ministers and other high-ranking officials from more than 100 countries.

The conference discussed the challenges of climate change, biodiversity protection, prevention of environmental pollution by waste, and reduction of pollution of seas and oceans from a global perspective; special attention was paid to the impact of climate change on the marine environment and the importance of a unified approach to dealing with it.

"Environmental protection has been declared one of the top priorities of the Georgian government. We are implementing environmental policy and continuing to harmonize legislation with EU best practices, which follows from the Association Agreement with the EU and the Association Agenda.

The Black Sea is not only an economic resource - it is Georgia's maritime gateway to the global space. We continue regional cooperation and coordination with international partners in the areas of scientific research, sustainable waste management, prevention of plastic pollution and biodiversity protection.

Georgia is actively taking measures to protect its rich marine ecosystem; 155 square kilometers of marine territory have been declared protected areas. Georgia's unique biodiversity is protected through protected areas and the Emerald Network, which covers more than 23% of the country's territory. The Georgian government is actively working to increase this figure to 30% by 2030. "I would also like to note that the Kolkheti National Park, which includes the country's first marine protected area, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List," the Minister of Environment and Agriculture said.

It is noteworthy that 193 UN countries have set 17 goals for sustainable development. Goal 14 concerns the protection of ocean and marine resources.

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