During the European Sustainable Development Week, the Embassy of Malta in Berlin organised a screening of the recently released documentary 'Comino: A Secret Paradise' with guest speaker Prof. Alan Deidun, Malta’s Oceans Ambassador, IOI Malta Training Centre director and executive producer of the same documentary.
The documentary depicts Comino’s landscape and the marine life surrounding the islands. In attendance there were representatives from various embassies in Berlin, the German Federal Foreign Office, research and academic institutions, Maltese living in Berlin and members of the public.
The documentary depicts Comino’s landscape and the marine life surrounding the islands. In attendance there were representatives from various embassies in Berlin, the German Federal Foreign Office, research and academic institutions, Maltese living in Berlin and members of the public.
This screening was held as part of a series of events called 'Diplomacy for Sustainability' organised by various embassies in Berlin in conjunction with the German Federal Foreign Office during the European Sustainable Development Week, aimed at promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. With the screening of the documentary 'Comino: A Secret Paradise', the focus of the event organised by the Embassy of Malta was SDG 14, which specifically targets “life below water” and aims at the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources as a key component of a sustainable future.
In her welcoming remarks, Ms Sephora Gauci, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the embassy of Malta in Berlin, spoke about Malta’s commitment to the protection of the seas and oceans, and referred to the country’s initiative at the United Nations calling for international regulations to ensure peace at sea, to prevent further pollution and to protect ocean resources, an initiative which spurred a 15-year process which led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. She also noted that today Malta’s marine protected areas make up 35% of all the waters under its jurisdictions, covering an area larger than the country itself.
In his intervention Malta’s Oceans Ambassador, Prof. Deidun also spoke about Malta’s efforts towards the preservation of the oceans, referring to Malta’s initiative to convene the first-ever upcoming meeting of Oceans Ambassadors around the world ahead of this year’s Our Oceans conference. He elaborated on the origins and production of the documentary 'Comino: A Secret Paradise' and then the documentary was shown. After the screening of the documentary itself, the audience also got the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look into the making of this documentary. Subsequently, Prof. Deidun engaged in a lively Q&A session with the audience about marine biodiversity, fishing, marine protected areas, as well as sustainable tourism.
The Comino underwater documentary is the latest in a series of five such documentaries co-produced by Prof. Deidun on Malta’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which include as well Filfla, Rdum Majjiesa, Mġarr ix-Xini and Dwejra. The Comino and Filfla documentaries have been sponsored by the Malta International Airport (MIA) Foundation and can be viewed online on social media.