Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority,
Distinguished Panelists and Discussants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), oceans and seas are critical assets, providing countless benefits in the form of food, employment, transport, access to the global marketplace, foreign exchange, culture and recreation. Through evidence-based policy interventions, these assets can also make significantly enhanced and sustained contributions to the economic growth, welfare and prosperity of these vulnerable countries.
Surprisingly, however, the ocean economy in the SIDS regions (AIS, Caribbean and Pacific) is still not well measured or understood, even as the next frontier for growth.
The 2012 Rio+20 conference first raised the notion of a “blue economy” and the need to stimulate “blue growth,” particularly for island nations and developing countries with significant coastlines and/or maritime areas. This was further reaffirmed in 2014, in the SAMOA Pathway. Since then, the blue economy and blue growth has captured the imagination of the international community. Although many may understand how to stimulate economic growth in ocean areas, it is still not clear what a sustainable ocean economy or blue economy should look like, and under what policies, conditions, and pathway is it most likely to develop.
By its very definition, the “Blue Economy” calls for the sustainable and integrated management of ocean and coastal resources to drive economic growth while restoring, protecting and effectively managing ocean and coastal ecosystems. When underpinned by the principles of equity, low-carbon development, resource efficiency and social inclusion, these strategies can assist in addressing several objectives in the SAMOA Pathway and the SDGs, with the potential to drive progress in others.
Dear Colleagues,
Balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders in a variety of sectors requires holistic, cross-sectoral and coordinated governance approaches. In this regard, UNCLOS , the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, provides the legal framework within which all activities in the ocean must be carried out. It provides legal certainty regarding the extent of sovereignty or sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal and other States. It is the backbone for the development of a sustainable blue economy. UNCLOS comprehensively covers every aspect of ocean governance and management, including dispute resolution.
In so doing, it provides an enabling framework that supports development, while also protecting ecosystem health. Full and effective implementation of UNCLOS, its two implementing agreements, as well as other relevant conventions and instruments, together with effective national legal and institutional frameworks and the requisite national capacity for implementation are essential prerequisites for success. Its effective implementation will have a critical impact on the progress of all the target areas of Sustainable Development Goal 14 and other ocean-related targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For most SIDS however, national legal and institutional frameworks are generally fragmented and adequate capacity is often not in place for effective implementation.
Although investments have been made in several SIDS in developing the appropriate human capital, legal and institutional frameworks to support sustainable economic growth and development, the challenge is how to ensure cohesive, synergistic approaches to operationalizing these agendas.
Excellencies,
Building knowledge and technical capacities in respect of the marine environment to facilitate effective participation in research and development, and in order to optimize national and regional capabilities to sustainably use and manage ocean resources, is key to successfully operationalizing the blue economy. To this end, SIDS should ensure that education programmes and curriculum take into consideration future needs in marine sciences, research, innovation, and technology development related to oceans. Relevant capacity building initiatives and the transfer of appropriate marine technology to SIDS will also be significant in building local knowledge and technical capacities.
The importance of evidence-based decision-making cannot be overstated, and in this regard quality data will play a pivotal role. Further, frequent assessment and evaluation of marine resources is needed to inform the levels of degradation and depletion in specific sectors. In this regard, it will be important to acquire and strengthen technical and vocational skills training related to ocean management and its associated activities, to create a large enough pool of professional, scientific, and skilled persons to support the efforts to sustainably use, conserve and manage ocean and its resources.
Within the current context of low growth and high debt, significant investments in the blue economy are constrained by the lack of adequate fiscal space and readily available financing in most SIDS. New forms of financing and leveraging of private sector investment will be needed to facilitate operationalization of a sustainable blue economy strategy. In this regard, the necessary enabling conditions must be established to reduce risk and make investment more attractive.
Mr. Secretary-General of ISA,
Thank you for inviting DESA to this launch event. I want to confirm also, that our joint Capacity Development Account Project, the “Abyssal Initiative for Blue Growth” has produced two very important pieces of work, two “Toolkits”, namely the “Role and Responsibilities of States Sponsoring Activities in the Area” and the “Guidelines for Negotiations and Contractual Dealings with Sponsored Entities” UNDESA is happy to be a part of the compilation of these important resources and looks forward to furthering our joint collaboration.
Thank you for your attention.