UNGA81 Solutions Dialogue on Ocean Action and Leadership Panel 3: Finance, technology and private-sector solutions Statement

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to be here to discuss this important issue with you.

The ocean and climate cannot be treated as separate systems - they have to be looked at holistically and comprehensively.

The impacts of rising ocean temperature and climate shocks affect fisheries, food security, nutrition and livelihoods, and they need solutions.

Not one single solution, but a package of solutions because nature is complex and interconnected. I am a biologist and understand this well.

The strong El Nino event this year will add further pressure, and will be even worse in the future.

Climate actions, healthy oceans, and food security should be part of the same solution. People in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) need food security from natural fisheries and local production such as taro.

Agrifood systems, and oceans, provide these solutions: from sustainable and resilient fisheries and aquaculture to the conservation and sustainable use of marine genetic resources.

We have the solutions - and now we must scale them up with greater urgency. We need governments, at different levels, to take responsibility and scale up, and to protect biodiversity through DNA profiles.

We need decision-ready science.

Advances in genomics, bioinformatics and ocean observation can help us identify and protect marine species, ecosystem functions and genetic resources, including those we have yet to discover.

Governments need early warning tied to practical advisories and risk maps that trigger targeted support before losses turn into food insecurity.

And fisherfolks need technologies that improve production and protect catch.

COP 31 must embed agrifood system solutions, including sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, firmly in its negotiation tracks.

COP is powerful, but there is no specific COP for the oceans.

FAO is ready to offer technical support to Members, especially SIDS, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs).

We are already helping countries lock in these solutions, including fisheries and aquaculture, as an adaptation priority.

It is now critical that they be included in official COP tracks and negotiated outcomes to ensure finance follows priorities.

If agrifood solutions are not anchored in clear global outcomes, investment will struggle to reach them.

Thank you.