H.E. Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr.

Growing up in Palau, I learned early that the ocean provides everything: food, work, joy and identity. I spent my days with my father taking divers to see the wrecks, the reefs and the wild marine life in our bountiful seas; by night we were fishing for our food or to sell our catch. All of this was made possible by the ocean we were blessed to call home. Immersed in that world, I came to understand that we are not separate from the sea, but part of it. It sustains our lives and livelihoods. It defines who we are.

Today, I go fishing and diving with my own children, teaching them what I know about the same ocean that helped shape who I am. For us, the ocean is much more than an exclusive economic zone with political borders that must be protected. It is a teacher. It is a generous family member that supports our communities and our economy. We are blessed with the honour of being able to use it and take what we need from it, but we do so knowing that we share the responsibility to be good stewards of this precious part of life. When we protect it, we do so out of love, gratitude and an eye to the future, rather than mere obligation.