Released on 3rd December 2024, the UN General Assembly Seventy-ninth session Agenda item 75 (a) Oceans and the law of the sea, highlights the critical need for global cooperation in protecting coral reefs.
In Paragraph 277, the resolution:
- Reiterates its support for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).
- Acknowledges that the 38th General Meeting of the ICRI was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 10-13 September 2024, marking the hashtag#first meeting in the Middle East.
- Recognises Saudi Arabia’s acceptance to chair the Initiative from 2025-2027, represented by the General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea – shams for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea (SHAMS).
- Celebrates the adoption of the resolution for the Red Sea region.