Office of the Spokesperson
The Government of Norway will host Our Ocean 2019: Our Ocean, Our Legacy in Oslo, October 23-24, 2019. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach will lead the U.S. government delegation which will include senior officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office (NMIO), and the Office of United States Trade Representative (USTR).
The Our Ocean conference began as a Department of State initiative in 2014 to draw international attention to the importance of the ocean for our economies, our food security, and our future — as well as the need for collaboration and concrete action to support ocean productivity, prosperity, and security. The conference draws participants from all over the globe. Representatives from the business community, the science and technology community, governments, non-governmental organizations, and funders will announce major commitments to support a healthy and productive ocean and a sustainable blue economy.
The conference in Norway will be the sixth in a series of high-level Our Ocean conferences, reaffirming the United States’ continued leadership with our partners on ocean issues.
Top priorities for the United States at this year’s conference include:
fostering collaboration among government, business, and other partners to create innovative solutions for the challenges facing the ocean;
tackling marine debris and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and
promoting a sustainable blue economy and maritime security
More details about this year’s conference may be found at ourocean2019.org.
For press inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov.
On social media, follow Under-Secretary Krach on Twitter @State_E, on Facebook @StateDeptE, on Instagram @StateDeptE, and on LinkedIn @U.S. Department of State – E Under Secretariat; follow the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental Scientific Affairs on Twitter @SciDiplomacyUSA, on Facebook @ScienceDiplomacyUSA, and on Instagram @sciencediplomacy_usa.