WASHINGTON (Reuters) - International participants at a high-level conference on the world's oceans pledged more than $5.3 billion (4.08 billion pounds) for conservation and designated vast areas as protected waters, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday. Earlier, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that more than 1.3 million square miles (3.4 million square km) gained protected designation. Kerry, speaking to a Georgetown University audience on Friday as part of the conference, stressed the health of the world's oceans for national security and global stability. It is international security," he said, saying nearly 50 percent of the world depends on food from the ocean and 12 percent of the world's work force relies on the ocean for their livelihood. The European Union has committed to hold a similar conference next year, followed by Indonesia in 2018 and Norway in 2019, Kerry said.

Source: The Star September 16, 2016 21:11 UTC