Blue Economy Webinar

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This webinar will explore the emerging concept of the ‘Blue Economy’, championed by many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as a mechanism to realise sustainable economic development based around an ocean-based economy.

A concise, clear and simple definition of the ‘Blue Economy’ has proved challenging to establish, with different stakeholders using it to cover wide ranging aspects of sustainable development. There is also a disconnect between the narrative around the concept of the ‘Blue Economy’ and the needs of small island developing states (SIDS) pursuing sustainable economic growth. The adoption of SDG 14 presents a new opportunity for SIDS to reframe their development needs but this needs to be reflected in the current blue economy discourse.

The focus of this webinar will be to examine the current approaches being taken by several states in the development and implementation of the blue economy concept at the national level. The analysis will draw heavily on the direct engagement with these countries in providing developmental technical assistance. Key areas for the analysis will be the weight each country places on different elements of the blue economy (e.g. the trade-off made between economic sector diversification versus the maintenance of marine ecosystem services) as well as the governance frameworks established at the national level to facilitate implementation.

The webinar will aim to draw some key lessons learned from these engagements that can be applied to other states seeking to develop ocean-based economies.

Speakers

Julian Roberts - Adviser, Oceans and Natural Resources Division, Commonwealth Secretariat

Rebecca Loustau-Lalanne - Principal Secretary of the Blue Economy Department, Ministry of Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy of Seychelles