Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, called for a sustainable ocean economy bolstered by innovative public-private partnerships. Drawing attention to the challenges faced by SIDS, Mohamed Shainee, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Maldives, for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), reiterated AOSIS’ commitment to implement SDG 14, particularly by addressing marine pollution, ocean acidification and IUU fishing. Speaking for Maldives, he highlighted that the fisheries industry is set to phase out use of plastics, and collect marine debris throughout its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).