Honourable Conroy Huggins, Minister of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience travelled to Tokyo, Japan for the recently concluded Inaugural Island State Ocean Summit, held in Tokyo on 3rd -4th June 2026.
The Nippon Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO convened the summit, bringing together over three hundred (300) attendees from over thirty-five (35) countries, including heads of state from island nations, as well as representatives from the United Nations.
The intention of the summit was to hold discussions on making a global effort to halt the deterioration of the marine environment caused by global warming and marine pollution.
In his speech, Minister Huggins outlined the importance of our ocean as a foundation to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ economy, food security, culture and identity and advocated for Island Nations to be better stewards of our oceans. Minister Huggins pointed out that although Saint Vincent and the Grenadines faces compounding challenges due to climate change and recent extreme weather events, “the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to working towards climate-resilient, science-based solutions for our people, not as an aspiration, but as a national and global imperative.”
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ delegation at the Island State Ocean Summit consisted of Honorable Minister Conroy Huggins, Minister of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience and Mr. Kris Isaacs, Senior Fisheries Officer in the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience.