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Day: 23 March 2021

Making waves at Monaco Ocean Week

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/03/2021

Throughout the course of one week, Prince Albert and his Foundation are showing their commitment to preserving the oceans by uniting the people who are making a difference.
When Monaco Ocean Week was launched in 2017, it hit the ground running. Opening with the Monaco Blue Initiative, now in its 12th year, the event brings together marine experts who share key research findings, forge partnerships, and move towards action to preserve the ocean.
After three successful editions, Monaco Ocean Week 2020 was called off at the last hour due to a country-wide lockdown that was applied just days earlier. It was a devastating blow to an event where important ocean initiatives are presented and key commitments are sealed.
The event was to be a pre-cursor to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, later that year in Glasgow. But in the end, that event was also postponed due to the pandemic.
According to Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, postponing the Monaco Ocean Week again in 2021 because of the pandemic was never on the cards.
“The objective that led to the preparation of Monaco Ocean Week was to avoid, by all means, a blank page in 2021 for the ocean,” Olivier Wenden explains to Monaco Life. “That was the key factor. The threats to the ocean continue despite the pandemic, and there was a strong urge and need to organise a week of meetings and debate on a multi-dimensional level. It is an opportunity for companies, NGOs, scientists and decision makers to go back to the table and assess existing and future challenges, and to determine what can be done together.”

Photo of Prince Albert opening the Monaco Blue Initiative on Monday, by Michel Dagnino – Oceanographic Institute

Thanks to advances in digital communication, the Foundation has been able to organise a hybrid Monaco Ocean Week, mixing in-person meetings and virtual teleconferences to create a full and impactful agenda in a responsible and safe environment. It also has other benefits.
“We can have more high-level guests attend because it saves travel time and it is more coherent with our goals in greenhouse gas emissions,” says Mr Wenden. “The 12th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative, launched by HSH Prince Albert on Monday, brought together in one day, around one ‘table’, scientists, private and public sector, NGOs and decision makers, on very hot topics linked with the ocean. There are many super high-level panellists this year, so despite the incapacity of people to travel, the will to communicate, the will to interact was incredibly strong and it was quite easy to have their participation.”
Aside from Prince Albert, the most high-profile speaker this year is John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, who delivered the keynote address during the Monaco Blue Initiative on Monday.
“We cannot protect the ocean without confronting the climate crisis,” Mr Kerry said in his speech. “Greenhouse gas pollution is already having a devastating effect on the ocean, which is quite literally dying from climate impacts like global warming and acidification. And it pains me to say, but we are heading towards an even more catastrophic future because, right now, we are heading towards a more than 3°C warming across the planet. Make no mistake, no one is getting the job done on what we set out to do in Paris, and in order to protect the ocean and the planet, it is absolutely essential now, we know, to hold the warming of the earth to 1.5°C.”
John Kerry added that to fight the climate crisis, we must harness the power of the ocean, saying, “It is the source of sustainable solutions and, frankly, we are not in a position to leave any climate solution on the table.”
Photo of John Kerry delivering the keynote speech during the Monaco Blue Initiative on Monday, by Michael Alesi / Government Communication Department

In addition to providing a platform for influential speakers such as John Kerry, the Prince Albert Foundation, through Monaco Ocean Week, mobilises the Principality’s key institutions for the event: the government, the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM), the Oceanographic Institute, the Monaco Yacht Club, even Barclays Private Bank, entities that, on the local level, are also helping to advance Monaco’s efforts to preserve the ocean.
For example, HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover chaired a steering committee meeting on Tuesday on the Biology of Precious Corals research by Monaco’s CSM and Chanel, which aims to develop research programs to better understand the life of Mediterranean red coral, often used in jewellery, and help protect the species.
Investing in a Blue Economy was the topic of a session organised by Barclays Private Bank and Impact Agora, showcasing how private investors can engage with emerging technologies, business models, and investment products to deploy capital for the ocean economy.
And on Friday, the Monaco Yacht Club will host a presentation by German sailor Boris Herrmann who, representing the Principality of Monaco, competed in the solo non-stop round the world race the Véndee Globe, collecting data on CO2 emissions throughout his epic 80-day adventure.
Herrmann’s experiences with the state of the ocean will be shared with everyone, either digitally or in person, and it is just one of the topics that is designed to pique the interest of the general population.
Students from across the world were invited to send in questions about the ‘Discovering the sounds under the ocean’ project by the Villefranche-Culture Ocean Institute of the Sea on Tuesday, and running throughout the week is a virtual museum exhibition featuring sustainable fashion by Indian born fashion environmentalist Runa Ray.
In all, more than 40 individual events are being held throughout Monaco Ocean Week, all of which make the connection between human life on earth and the state of our oceans.
On Wednesday, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will present its latest report ‘The Mediterranean: Mare Plasticum’, showing the severity of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. Then, the 2020 winners of the BeMed competition will present the solutions they are implementing to combat this scourge.
“This ‘one health, one planet’ approach is very wholistic and multidimensional. It helps to reorganise the way we as a foundation introduce to the public the ocean and humanity,” says Mr Wenden. “We can only hope that an aftermath of Covid is that people truly understand that their personal health, the health of their children and their relatives, is totally dependent on the health of animals and the health of their environment.”
To get involved in Monaco Ocean Week, visit https://www.monacooceanweek.org/en/program/
 
Feature photo of Olivier Wenden standing next to Prince Albert at the Oceanographic Museum and Robert Calcagno, General Director of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco by Michel Dagnino – Oceanographic Institute
 
 

National Council responds to Turkey quitting convention

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/03/2021

Monaco’s National Council has joined world leaders and activists in condemning Turkey’s withdrawal from the landmark Istanbul Convention protecting women from violence.
The National Council made its position known through the voice of its delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), including Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo, member of the European Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.
“Despite this unilateral decision by Turkey, which it regrets, the National Council will continue to support the Istanbul Convention, the respect for women’s rights to live free from violence, and therefore its application in the Principality,” said Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo.
The Istanbul Convention was ratified by Monaco in 2014 and provides a legal framework to protect women against all forms of violence and to prevent, punish and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence.
It serves as the basis for much of the work of the Council of Europe and has contributed to the writing of legislative texts in the Principality of Monaco, serving as the highest standard in terms of safeguarding women’s rights.
Turkey was the first to sign the treaty 10 years ago.
Thousands protested in the country on Saturday calling for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reverse his decision to withdraw from the world’s first binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women.
Meanwhile, the Council of Europe’s Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, called the decision “devastating.”
“This move is a huge setback to these efforts and all the more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond,” she said.
 
Photo of National Councillor Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo by the National Council of Monaco
 
 

Full steam ahead for the Monaco Grand Prix

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/03/2021

Preparations for the mythical Monaco Grand Prix are well underway with hundreds of workers on the case to make this year’s event one to remember despite complicated circumstances.

After a disappointing 2020, when the Monaco Grand Prix was forced to cancel for the first time since 1954, organisers of the event are pushing ahead with installations and plans for the legendary event.

This year will certainly be like no other in many ways, but most apparent will be the inclusion of strict sanitary measures in order to make the weekend not only exciting for visitors, but safe as well.

Over 600 Corps des Commissaires, a group of both seasoned professionals and newly recruited members, are currently being trained to face not only emergencies on the track, but also to implement new health measures to protect all who attend.

The training on the track involves a series of simulated events aimed at preparing the commissaires for all eventualities, primarily to ensure the safety of the drivers in the event of an accident. Nicknamed the “Angels of the Asphalt”, their actions can range from putting out fires to extracting a pilot from a mangled car and are highly dangerous, especially in such a fast-paced environment.

The Automobile Club of Monaco, the Red Cross of Monaco and the fire brigade all work together to devise these emergency action plans, and they are time-tested until perfected.

The off-track training, new for this year, will ensure that everyone involved in the event is following Monaco’s health and safety protocols throughout.

Photo by the Automobile Club of Monaco

On a more practical level, the circuit is taking shape with pitstop garages installed, grandstands set up and guardrails around the track in place.

The Monaco Grand Prix is widely thought to be the most difficult circuit on the Formula 1 schedule and winning it is the dream of most drivers. It is special in that it is one of the very few circuits that runs through town, not on a course outside the city.

This year the circuit will host three events in April and May. First is the beloved Historic Grand Prix from 23rdto 25th April, followed on 8th May by the E-Prix Formula E electric vehicle event, and finally from 20th to 23rdMay the Monaco Grand Prix.

Monaco is the fifth F1 race on this year’s schedule, following after Bahrain, Emilia Romagna, Portugal and Spain.

 
Top photo by the Automobile Club of Monaco
 

What are the new rules for “lockdown lite”

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/03/2021

Sixteen French departments, including Monaco’s neighbour the Alpes-Maritimes, are under stricter measures for four weeks from 20th March in the latest battle in the war against Covid-19. The French say it’s not a lockdown… then what exactly is it?
Don’t call it a lockdown. That seems to be the word from the government of France who, since announcing the latest measures to try and bring soaring Covid numbers down last week, have been trying to avoid that term like the plague.
Prime Minister Jean Castex used the dreaded word one time in his press conference last Thursday and it set off a fury of debate as to what exactly the French are doing this time around.
President Emmanuel Macron called the new process “supplementary braking measures”, and Health Minister Olivier Veran added to the confusion saying, “I don’t know what we should call the measures being taken. But there is a key difference, which is that we are turning more to the outdoors.”
So, what are the rules?
To start, people will have more freedom to go out and exercise than last time. They can go within 10 kilometres of their homes for an unlimited period between 6am and 7pm every day. This, says the government, is to stop desperation from setting into the public mindset.
“We aren’t stopping people from going outside, we are limiting gatherings indoors. Walking in a park, riding a bike … We need those [activities] so we don’t crack. The new measures bridge the gap between physical and mental health as the pandemic persists,” Veran told Le Parisien.
No exemption certificate is required within the 10 kilometres, just proof of residency will suffice for police checks.
Additionally, more shops are being considered “essential”. For example, hairdressers, some shopping centres, bookstores, car dealerships, florists and pretty much anyone selling food or drink will be allowed to stay open during this period. Click-and-collect is allowed for businesses who cannot welcome patrons.
“We made some exceptions, such as hairdressers, for French people’s morale. We did it because there are professions like florists that make half their turnover during spring. We did it for the chocolatiers because it’s Easter,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL radio on Sunday.
The full list is far longer and will soon be published. The government has also said that the list is not exhaustive and is subject to change.
Another difference, but one that is less restrictive, concerns indoor physical education classes at schools. The Prime Minister has said they can resume, despite worries over rising transmission rates at educational facilities.
But Health professionals are unsure these new measures will work, and many think it’s a case of too little too late.
“The fact that people are outside doesn’t worry me,” epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux, who heads the parasitology unit at Paris’s Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, told LCI on Monday. “The problem is that restrictions haven’t been imposed in places where they need to be,” citing workplaces and schools.
“We shouldn’t kid ourselves. We aren’t going to see a rapid drop in cases with these measures,” he added.
The Alpes-Maritimes is seeing some of the highest infection rates in the country. As of Monday, 350 people are hospitalised in the region and 216 are in intensive care. 20 additional people have died. The incidence rate sits at 407 per 100,000 people. Whilst this number is alarmingly high, it is significantly down from the high of 637 in February.
 
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash