In a joint statement released by the US State Department on climate cooperation and signed by 17 more countries – in addition to Angola there are other Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Portugal, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea – the commitment to an Atlantic region is recalled "peaceful, prosperous, open and cooperative, preserving the ocean as a healthy, sustainable and resilient resource for generations to come".
The signatories recall that everyone depends on the Atlantic to "subsist", as it is the scene of "important trade routes, significant natural resources and essential biodiversity", for which there are several challenges, such as combating maritime piracy, transnational organized crime, illegal fishing, unreported and unregulated.
"Climate change, pollution and environmental degradation pose a threat to our livelihoods. The Atlantic Ocean also offers untapped economic potential, from natural resources to new technologies. No country alone can solve the transboundary challenges in the Atlantic region or address fully the opportunities before us", reads the joint communiqué.
The group's idea, which invites other Atlantic States to join the initiative, involves partnering on a set of common challenges in the Atlantic region and exploring the development of a broader dialogue on strengthening cooperation in the region.
To this end, it is necessary to create opportunities to promote sustainable, economic, environmental, scientific and maritime governance objectives across the Atlantic, in accordance with international law, in particular in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of March 1982 (UNCLOS).
"We will work to develop a sustainable ocean economy and an inclusive economic model to ensure that the ocean continues to support our livelihoods, from food for growing populations to driving global trade, now and for generations to come", defend the signatories.
The challenge of climate change and environmental degradation implies collaboration with "innovative and science-based solutions" to advance in this fight, with the need to "avoid, minimize and address loss and damage, create climate resilience, conserve marine ecosystems and coastal areas and mitigate marine pollution".
Another aspect is the exploration of ways to improve maritime governance, which involves allowing cooperation for humanitarian responses and search and rescue operations, to combat piracy and narcotics trafficking, making the Atlantic a "zone of peace and cooperation".
"Several organizations in the Atlantic have already made important progress towards our common goals and we will build on the spirit of mutually reinforcing Atlantic cooperation promoted by these organizations, supporting them in their work", add the signatories.
In this sense, and among the partnerships to be established, is the 'Atlantic Center', located in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, which works as a "central platform for the analysis of innovative and pan-Atlantic policies and political dialogue and capacity building".
Another partnership will be with the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, to create a key coordinating body for the South Atlantic countries, as well as the Yaoundé Architecture agreement, the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea as a central entity in law enforcement. African regional maritime network and the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance as a venue to promote scientific cooperation.
The signatories of the joint declaration for Atlantic cooperation are Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Spain, United States, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Ireland, Mauritania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom United and Senegal.
