India, Norway agree to boost ocean partnership

New Delhi

India and Norway have agreed to strengthen their partnership in protecting oceans and managing fisheries. This decision was made during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh led the Indian team and met with Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Ness. Both leaders talked about the importance of working together on ocean matters. They shared ideas to improve how countries use ocean resources and reduce problems like overfishing and water pollution.

They also focused on better sharing of ocean data, exchanging knowledge, and supporting each other with new technologies. The two countries have been long-time partners in ocean and fisheries work.

India and Norway said they would continue helping each other meet the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030). This includes protecting oceans and building a fair and sustainable “blue economy,” which uses ocean resources to support jobs and growth.

At the conference, Minister Singh also talked about India’s progress in deep-sea exploration and stopping plastic pollution. He spoke about India’s Deep Ocean Mission, a ban on single-use plastics, and projects worth over $80 billion focused on the blue economy.

India also called for faster approval of the BBNJ Agreement, a new international rule to protect ocean areas. It supported a global treaty to stop plastic pollution and launched SAHAV, a digital platform to share ocean data.

This event showed India’s rising global role in ocean care.