The Conference will be opened by Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of the World Maritime University and Dr. Hide Sakaguchi, President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF). The conference programme features keynote speeches by Judge Shunji Yanai of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and Mr. Michael Lodge, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority. An Official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan will also deliver opening remarks.
H.E. Laurent Parenté, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Vanuatu to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), will contribute to the discussion regarding Preservation of the Marine Environment, including the Hazard of Plastic Debris Panel.
Ambassador Parenté is an esteemed member of the WMU Board of Governors and an experienced champion for the ocean and the work of the IMO. He is a strong advocate of capacity-building at the World Maritime University in maritime and ocean affairs.
Professor Ronan Long, Director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, noted the conference represents a unique opportunity to bring together senior representatives of governments, some of the world’s leading scholars in their respective fields, and experts from industry and civil society to explore contemporary issues in the region. Topics addressed will include: Baselines and Archipelagic States; Navigation Rights/Law Enforcement; Arctic Shipping; East China Sea Maritime Boundaries; Maritime Security Issues Concerning Small Island States; Preservation of the Marine Environment, including the Hazard of Plastic Debris; and Issues Arising Out of Climate Change. The conference proceedings will be published by Brill and distributed worldwide.
