G7/8 Parliamentarians

G7 Speakers’ Meeting – Declaration

We reaffirm the central role played by Parliaments in democratic life. Parliaments, which are the assemblies that bring together all the components of society, are the key institutions of democracy: they represent the expression of the people on account of their legislative and oversight roles.

Parliaments have a vital role to play in contributing to the success of environmental policies. By drawing up and passing legislation, by approving national budgets and by holding governments to account, parliaments are a key element in the commitment of states to the environment. Thus, we indeed commit ourselves to the carrying-out of our responsibilities, with the utmost energy, to advance our parliaments’ prerogatives to better protect our oceans.

The life and the well-being of humankind depend upon the health and the sustainable use of the oceans. The seas and oceans present us with extraordinary opportunities: this is a fragile wealth which must be protected as it is under threat. We strongly underline our concern regarding the degradation of the oceans and we, hereby, reaffirm the urgent necessity to undertake strategies which can protect the richness which the marine environment, the oceans and their biodiversity provide.

We, presidents/speakers of parliament of the member states of the G7, wish to emphasize the importance of a general commitment to the oceans as a common good: the protection of the oceans and their resources is a major world issue which must bring together all public and private actors.

We wish that the contacts between parliaments lead to maintaining a high level of mobilization concerning the environment, to the regular raising of questions linked to the protection of the oceans and to the dissemination of good practices. We are convinced that our parliaments can play a pivotal role in the fight against climate change and in the protection of the oceans.

The Paris Agreement on Climate, in its preamble, encourages all states to ensure the integrity of the oceans as an ecosystem, so as to protect their enormous biodiversity. The preservation of the oceans calls for particular attention in the discussions concerning climate change and we welcome the predominant place that the COP 25, which will be held in Chile, will give to the protection of the oceans.

The preservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems is essential to the life, the food security and the economic prosperity of humanity. We wish to underline the importance of developing a solid world framework for biodiversity post 2020 as well as of continuing research and of the implementation of solutions based on the circular economy. In this regard, we shall closely monitor the upcoming international deadlines concerning biodiversity and the implementation of the commitments taken by governments in the fight against marine litter.

We shall also pay particular attention to the negotiations concerning the governance of the oceans and specifically those, at the United Nations, concerning the drawing-up of a legally binding international instrument within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We underline the decisive role of scientific research and of innovation in the preservation of the oceans. These are essential in order to improve our knowledge of the ecological state of the oceans, to raise consciousness, to enlighten political decisions and to foster the development and the use of technologies leading to the sustainable management of the oceans.

France
Richard FERRAND
President of the National Assembly

Germany
Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE
President of the Bundestag

Canada
Bruce STANTON
Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons

United States
Nancy PELOSI
Speaker of the House of Representatives

Italy
Roberto FICO
President of the Chamber of Deputies

Japan
Tadamori OSHIMA
President of the House of Representatives

United Kingdom
John BERCOW
Speaker of the House of Commons

European Union
Mairead McGUINNESS
First Vice-President of the European Parliament

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Source: Assemblée Nationale de la République française

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	Please send comments to: g7@utoronto.ca This page was last updated February 05, 2025.