Multilateral cooperation matters in protecting oceans: WEF president

In a geopolitically fragmented world, safeguarding the health of oceans is a concern for all people, and one in which multilateral cooperation still matters, said World Economic Forum president Borge Brende.

- Audrey Tan

"The oceans belong to everyone...

if you pollute your part of the ocean, it also has impact on others. It's transboundary in many ways, so maybe the oceans could be a good way to show that multilateral cooperation still matters," he added.

Mr Brende was speaking to The Straits Times on April 17 on the sidelines of Ecosperity Week, a sustainability conference convened by Singapore's investment company Temasek.

"We are not in a recession. The economy is still growing, and trade is also growing," he said, adding that the world has managed to avoid an economic recession.

International Monetary Fund forecasts made on April 16 showed that global growth rates, estimated at 3.2 per cent in 2023, are projected to continue at the same pace in 2024 and 2025.

"On the geopolitics, though, it does not look as good. We are seeing more fragmentation and fracture. You could say we avoided an economic recession, but instead we have a geopolitical recession," Mr Brende said.

But ocean issues have become more prominent at multilateral events, he noted, pointing to the United Nations climate change conference COP27 in 2022, which featured the first Ocean Pavilion.

Pavilions, which are situated outside negotiating rooms at the UN climate conferences, serve as hubs where conference delegates - including policymakers, civil society members, academics and business representatives from across the world can gather to discuss various issues.