On 26 June 2026 Comendador Anthony Bailey, Honorary Consul-General of His Majesty The King of Tonga to the Portuguese Republic, paid a courtesy visit to the Oceano Azul Foundation at its headquarters in Lisbon, where he met Professor Tiago Pitta e Cunha, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, together with Dr Sérgio Carvalho, Deputy Director for International Ocean Advocacy, and Dr Pradip Singh, International Ocean Governance. Mr Finn Phillips-Riggs, Assistant to the Consul-General also attended.
The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for wide-ranging discussions on opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the Kingdom of Tonga and the Oceano Azul Foundation.
Discussions covered a broad range of issues of shared interest, including ocean conservation, climate resilience, rising sea levels, sustainable ocean governance, marine protected areas, capacity-building for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the international call for a precautionary moratorium on deep-sea mining until its environmental impacts are better understood. Opportunities for closer technical cooperation, knowledge exchange and future capacity-building initiatives involving Tonga were also explored.
Anthony Bailey welcomed the Foundation’s international fellowship and leadership programmes, noting that Tongan representatives have already participated in Foundation-supported initiatives. This existing engagement provides a valuable platform upon which to build an even closer partnership between the Kingdom of Tonga and the Foundation.
The discussions also considered the work of the Ocean Pioneers Coalition, for which the Oceano Azul Foundation serves as Secretariat, preparations for forthcoming international ocean and climate meetings, including the pre-COP process in Fiji, and the importance of ensuring that the perspectives of Small Island Developing States remain central to international ocean governance.
The meeting took place shortly before Anthony Bailey’s official visit to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, where he sought to strengthen relations between the Kingdom of Tonga and the Azorean archipelago. As two maritime archipelagos whose identities, economies and futures are closely linked to the ocean, Tonga and the Azores share many common opportunities and challenges relating to marine conservation, climate adaptation, sustainable blue economy development, biodiversity protection and long-term ocean stewardship. The Foundation’s internationally recognised Blue Azores Programme was highlighted as an outstanding example of successful collaboration in advancing marine conservation and sustainable ocean management.
Both parties expressed their desire to continue developing closer cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including ocean conservation, scientific research, climate resilience, capacity-building and international ocean governance, while strengthening dialogue on the protection and sustainable use of the world’s oceans.
Following the meeting, Anthony Bailey toured the Foundation’s facilities before visiting the Oceanário de Lisboa, Portugal’s most visited cultural attraction and one of the world’s leading aquariums, internationally renowned for its outstanding contribution to marine conservation, scientific research, environmental education and public awareness.
Anthony Bailey thanked Professor Tiago Pitta e Cunha, Dr Sérgio Carvalho and Dr Pradip Singh for their warm welcome and the constructive exchange of views, reaffirming the Kingdom of Tonga’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with Portuguese institutions working to advance global ocean governance and the protection of the world’s oceans.
Websites
🌊 Oceano Azul Foundation: https://oceanoazulfoundation.org
🐠 Oceanário de Lisboa: https://www.oceanario.pt
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