Latest content: Oceans and natural resources

The blue economy is about more than making money from the ocean, says the Commonwealth’s Head of Oceans and Natural Resources.

The inaugural Blue Charter action group meeting on ocean acidification has brought us a step closer to finding solutions to the detrimental impacts of rising pH levels on ocean life, Commonwealth Head of Oceans and Natural Resources stated

In March this year state-of-the-art submarines will descend to previously unexplored depths of the Indian Ocean on a pioneering research expedition.

Commonwealth governments are set to benefit from a ground-breaking scientific research expedition into the unexplored depths of the Indian Ocean.

With global climate talks freshly concluded last weekend in Katowice, Poland, some Commonwealth countries are already working towards a stronger ocean focus at next year’s negotiations in Chile.

“Real experiences” are what drove some Commonwealth countries to take up the banner for the ocean, stepping forward to champion action groups of like-minded members working together to tackle some of the world’s most pressing ocean problems.

A new Commonwealth paper examines who should be held responsible if deep-sea mining in international waters causes environmental damage.

Efforts to protect the ocean have received a major boost with the announcement that Seychelles will lead a Commonwealth Blue Charter action group on marine protected areas.

Further support for the Commonwealth's vital initiative to protect the world's oceans, seas and lakes will be announced at a side event of the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 November 2018

The Government of Seychelles in collaboration with the Commonwealth has launched the ‘Blue Economy Strategic Framework and Roadmap’ to build its ocean-based economy.

Protecting the ocean today is the best way of ensuring prosperity for future generations, says Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland. Her remarks came at a session on the Commonwealth Blue Charter on sustainable ocean governance, held on the margins of the 49th Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru, which ran from 3 to 6 September 2018

The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland is in Nauru to meet leaders and other partners this week at the 49th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting.

Cradled in the South Pacific, my home country Vanuatu is made mostly of ocean.  The Pacific covers 98% of the national jurisdiction. Here, some 280,000 Ni-Vanuatu like myself live simply off the land and sea.  We view the ocean as a living ‘bridge’ that connects islands and continents while sustaining life in all its forms.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has met the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, during her first official visit to the country.

The Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, says urgent action is needed to save the world's oceans, since the livelihoods of millions of people depend on their preservation and sustainable development.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will participate in a high level United Nations forum to find sustainable ways for millions of people to make a living from the world's oceans.

The Commonwealth’s hub for climate finance celebrated key milestones this week, including the mobilisation of £3.7 million for climate-vulnerable countries, with another £135 million in the pipeline.

The Republic of Mauritius will share valuable marine protection know-how with other Commonwealth countries, using the Commonwealth Blue Charter as a platform to exchange best practices, collaborate on research, and carry out training workshops.

The president of the Seychelles, Danny Faure, has credited the Commonwealth for propelling his island country forward as an advocate for ocean issues and climate change.

Malta is allocating the oceanography grants through the Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence (CSSCE). They will fund a one-week course in operational oceanography for blue growth.

International concern for the plight of the global ocean is at an all-time high. In April this year, the 53 countries of the Commonwealth adopted the Commonwealth Blue Charter, creating a bright blue beacon to guide cooperative action on ocean issues. 

Emerging petroleum producing countries have been urged to carefully consider country context when forming local content policies – or risk long-term drawbacks to the development of the sector.

In August 2017, Jeff Ardron, Ocean Governance Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, reported on the first High-level Pacific Blue Economy Conference, in Fiji: “The ‘Blue Economy’ is a term that appears to have been invented independently by both Pacific Islanders and the colourful German entrepreneur Günter Pauli.