In his first official visit to Colombia, Prince Albert spoke during a high-level Reference User Group meeting at Santa Marta, on Monday, March 19, thanking the Colombian authorities for their work on protecting the oceans.
“Year after year, your work enables us to draw the world’s attention to the very serious phenomenon of ocean acidification,” the Prince said. “I should also like to underline the opportunity presented in 2018 by International Year of the Reef. Because of their vulnerability to acidification, because of their importance in our global ecosystems … corals should today, more than ever, be at the heart of our strategies.”
High profile figures who attended the meeting included Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia; Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombian Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development and President of INVEMAR; Francisco Arias-Isaza, General Director of INVEMAR; Julia Miranda, Director of National Parks; and Juan Mayr, Colombia’s former Minister of the Environment.