Venezuela denounced this Wednesday before the United Nations Oceans Conference in Lisbon the “illegal application” of a “commercial, economic and financial blockade” by the United States, a “challenge” that makes it difficult for them to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
This was denounced by the Venezuelan Minister for Youth and Sports, Mervin Enrique Maldonado Urdaneta, during his speech at the conference plenary, where he assured that these “unilateral coercive” measures “flagrantly violate the United Nations charter and international law.” .
“Venezuela will continue to denounce these measures and their devastating effects before the different international forums and will continue to demand their lifting in any space of the international community while continuing to face the obstacles imposed by these measures,” he asserted.
He also said that the norms referring to the Law of the Sea in SDG 14 (which encompasses the protection of the oceans) are not applicable to Venezuela as “conventional law or international custom” and are not recognized in the national legislation of his country.
For this reason, he clarified that “the non-objection” to the declaration that emerges from this Conference (The Lisbon Declaration) “cannot be interpreted as a change of position”, and asked that his position be reflected in the record and minutes of this meeting in Lisbon.
The minister ratified Venezuela’s “firm commitment” to comply with the SDGs and recalled that the country has more than 500,000 square kilometers of aquatic surface, a “primordial area” of development for the country, protected in accordance with international obligations.
The II Conference of the UN Oceans brings together twenty Heads of State and Government and more than a hundred ministers until next Friday.
