Minister pulls out of UN event in protest
Tuvalu’s foreign minister and Nobel peace prize nominee Simon Kofe has withdrawn from a UN Ocean Conference in Portugal in protest against China’s decision to block Taiwanese participants in the island nation’s delegation.
He was en route to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for the summit that aims to scale up actions to protect the world’s oceans but made a decision to not participate after China’s actions.
Around two dozen heads of state and governments are expected to attend the event taking place from 27 June to 1 July.
Representatives from 193 countries will also be joining the conference.
Simon Kofe has also been nominated for the Nobel peace prize.
He made headlines at last year’s COP 26, when he addressed the summit while standing knee-deep in the ocean to highlight rising sea levels.
Mr Kofe said he is surprised at the nomination but at the same time, honored to be considered.
Sir David Attenborough, the World Health Organisation, and Belarusian dissident Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Greta Thunberg, and Pope Francis are among the other nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize