The President of the Portuguese Republic today accepted UNESCO’s invitation to serve as Patron of the Ocean Decade, just as Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa did, and together with other heads of state, including his Cabo Verdean counterpart, José Maria Neves.
“I accepted the invitation that was extended to me, I undertake this mission with humility and with an added sense of responsibility in light of the growing challenges facing the seas,” António José Seguro said during a conference on the topic on Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde.
The event opened the third and final day of Seguro’s state visit to the archipelago.
The Ocean Decade is a global initiative led by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“It will be a pleasure to share this mission with my Cabo Verdean counterpart, José Maria Neves,” he added, in remarks in which he pointed to five areas that he considers essential for international cooperation: maritime security, sustainable fishing and aquaculture, tourism, blue finance, and the science and technology dimension — where he believes lies “one of the ocean’s greatest promises for the twenty-first century.”
Alongside him, José Maria Neves said he expected an “invaluable contribution” from Seguro.
“We will be together in making this path toward the future and the dreams we share,” said the Cabo Verdean president, in a speech that summarized the importance of the sea: “the ocean is to these islands the air we breathe.”
Seguro is the first foreign head of state to make an official visit to Boa Vista and he received the keys to the city of Sal Rei.
The program also includes a visit to the Morro de Areia Nature Reserve and to the local arts and culture center, before returning to Praia, on Santiago Island, to conclude the Cabo Verde trip.
