President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of June 8 attended an event hosted by the Coast Guard Administration of the Executive Yuan to mark World Oceans Day, as well as the Marine Security Forum. After delivering remarks and watching several award-winning short films, the president then bestowed awards on the makers of the movies.
In his remarks, President Ma commented that at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro 1992, the Canadian government advocated the creation of a World Oceans Day, hoping to boost understanding of oceans and the importance of protecting and utilizing them sustainably. In 2003, The Ocean Project and other international organizations continued to promote the idea. Finally in 2008, the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution designating June 8 as World Oceans Day, he said.
President Ma remarked that the theme of last year's World Oceans Day was "Our Oceans, Our Responsibility." The focus of last year's event was to emphasize the importance of protecting the marine environment and managing marine resources, he said. This year's theme is "Our Oceans: Opportunities and Challenges." The president stated that later in the day the UN would convene a press conference to mark 2010 World Oceans Day and explain how to effectively implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The president said that since the ROC lost its seat at the UN in 1971, it has not been able to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This convention, however, has long been viewed as customary international law. Consequently, the government here plans to incorporate its provisions into domestic law. In addition, the ROC in 1998 promulgated two marine laws – The Law on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone of the Republic of China, and the Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf of the Republic of China. He emphasized that further incorporating the content of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea into domestic law will serve as a basis to resolve maritime issues with neighboring countries.
President Ma stated that the ocean and marine-based trade have played important roles in the developmental history of Taiwan. In light of this, during his campaign for the presidency, he specially unveiled the strategy of "making a blue revolution, and seeking prosperity from the ocean." With the legislature's passage of amendments to the Organic Act of the Executive Yuan, the government will establish a ministry of environment and natural resources and a council of marine affairs. This will reinforce the government's efforts and plans to protect marine ecosystems and promote marine-related policies, he said. Moreover, several marine conservation zones have been established, including the Houpi Marine Resources Conservation Area, the Tiaoshi Marine Resources Conservation Area, and the Dongsha Atoll National Park. The president said he hopes that the reorganization of the Executive Yuan and heightened environmental consciousness will bring about proper attitudes and enable environmental protection policies to yield maximum benefit.
Lastly, the president specially expressed his appreciation to the Coast Guard Administration, the Environmental Protection Administration, National Center for Ocean Research, National Taiwan Ocean University, the National Geographic Channel, Farglory Ocean Park, the Evergreen Maritime Museum, the National Museum of Natural Science, and the National Taiwan Museum for their cooperative efforts to promote marine research, foster greater understanding of the ocean among the public, and re-establish a positive embrace of our maritime identity.