¡°This flag raising ceremony marks the beginning of UN operations at the venue of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, which will be held here from 27 June to 1 July,¡± said Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of UN DESA and Secretary-General of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, as the flags of Portugal and the United Nations were raised outside of the Altice Arena in Lisbon on 26 June.
¡°We would not have reached this historic milestone without the close and fruitful cooperation between the United Nations and the co-hosts of the Conference, Portugal and Kenya, during months of preparation. We are deeply appreciative of their leadership, commitment and dedication,¡± Mr. Liu conveyed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Jo¨¡o Gomes Cravinho, delivered remarks at the flag raising event, at which Mr. Alexander Trepelkov of UN DESA¡¯s Division for Sustainable Development Goals was the Master of Ceremonies.
Mr. Liu expressed deep gratitude towards the Portuguese Government and the people of Portugal for ¡°the warm welcome extended to the participants at the conference, our Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres, and staff of the United Nations.¡±?
¡°In the coming week, the global community will be working together to bring the UN Ocean Conference to a successful conclusion to deliver on our commitment to save our ocean and to save our planet,¡± Mr. Liu stressed.
¡°From the bottom of my heart, I thank all our Portuguese and Kenyan colleagues and wish all of us a successful Conference,¡± concluded Mr. Liu.
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