Highlights and images for 28 November 2018

The third day of the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference opened with a second session of Leaders’ Commitments. A series of side events were held throughout the morning. The side event on harnessing global action to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing emphasized the importance of joint efforts in combating IUU fishing, considering it involved other crimes such as corruption, money laundering, and drug trafficking.In the afternoon, all participants gathered for the Ministerial and Heads of Delegation Leaders Circle and heard a summary of the conference report. Presenting highlights from the Nairobi Statement of Intent, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said that implementing the commitments would require investments that translate into bold actions.Leaders’ Commitments included pledges on:

• marine protection, €40 million to protect corals and reefs and €60 million for the protection of marine areas in African countries (EU);
• plastics and waste management, US$100 million earmarked for better oceans management and against dumping, and US$200 million over the next four years for the development of initiatives to combat marine litter and microplastics (Norway);
• maritime safety and security, €250 million for naval vessel replacement and the purchase of two marine patrol aircraft (Ireland);
• €40 million to support aquaculture value chains in African countries (ACP-EU);
• infrastructure, 600 projects leading to an investment of US$120 billion (India - Sagarmala Programme);
• biodiversity and climate change, a US$10 million investment in the Pacific Initiative for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Resilience together with the EU, New Zealand and Australia (Canada);
• technical assistance and capacity-building, US$20 million in increased technical assistance and capacity development in small-island developing States (Canada); and
• private sector support, US$150 million by the Government of Canada and the private sector to build a knowledge-based ocean economy (Canada).

In a discussion on the enablers of the Blue Economy, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada, identified leadership and political will as a fundamental prerequisite for finding technical solutions to end plastic pollution.Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, stressed that the truly global representation and the far-reaching and collectively beneficial outcomes of the conference demonstrated the transformative power of multilateralism. The conference was declared closed at 4:53 pm.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report of the Conference in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera

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Leaders’ Commitment Segment

 

Firmin Matoko, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

 

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources and Rivers Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, India

 

Jemma Nunu Kumba, Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, South Sudan

 

Alison Chartress, High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia to Kenya

 

Robert Godec, Ambassador of the US to Kenya

 

Michael Lodge, Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority

 

Norman Mwambakulu, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy, and Mining, Malawi

 

Tagaloa Sharon Georgina Aiafi, Samoa

 

Cherdkiat Atthakor, Ambassador of Thailand to Kenya

 

Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the UN

Harnessing Global Action to Tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

 

Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada

 

Tony Long, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Global Fishing Watch

 

L-R: Duncan Copeland, Trygg Mat Tracking; Medina Thiam, Senegal National Agency for Maritime Affairs; Milton Haughton, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism; Manuel Barange, Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and Darren Goetze, Director General, Conservation and Protection for Fisheries and Oceans Canada

 

Manuel Barange, Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, FAO

 

Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, asks a question to Manuel Barange.

 

Duncan Copeland, Trygg Mat Tracking

 

Milton Haughton, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism

 

Medina Thiam, Senegal National Agency for Maritime Affairs

 

Darren Goetze, Director General, Conservation and Protection for Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Closing Ceremony

 

Monica Juma, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya

 

Michael Oyugi, Conference Secretary

 

Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada

 

Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean

 

L-R: Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean; Monica Juma, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya; and Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya, being congratulated at the conclusion of the Conference.

 

Family photo at the end of the Conference

Around the Venue

 

The social media booth at the Conference

 

L-R: Wang Yan, China; Paula Barrios, Colombia/Canada; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Suzi Malan, South Africa