African Union

Heads of state group photo The Sustainable Blue Economy Conference 2018 opened on Monday 26 November in Nairobi, Kenya, as the first global meeting on how to ensure a sustainable blue economy. Over 16,000 participants registered for the event, and Monday saw over 70 countries’ heads of states and governments delivering their commitments to achieve the objectives of: harnessing the potential of oceans, seas, lakes and rivers to improve the lives of all; and leveraging the latest innovations, scientific advances and best practices to build prosperity while conserving the global waters for future generations.The Leaders’ Commitments segment was interspersed with videos about the nine conference themes. On behalf of the host country, President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya, pledged that his country would play a leading role in: implementing proper policies and mechanisms to harness the blue economy; managing waste for the sake of food security and biodiversity; enforcing sustainable fishing; and ensuring security and safety in the high seas.During opening remarks, Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary, Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that oceans, seas, lakes and rivers held natural capital that could be used to accelerate economic growth, create jobs and fight against poverty while addressing environmental degradation. She highlighted the aim of the conference was to identify priorities, opportunities and challenges that would result in a Nairobi Statement of Intent, and invited commitments from different sectors to advance a blue economy.Jonathan Wilkinson, Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said that the conference would explore how to build a sustainable blue economy that left no one behind and that achieving a blue economy would require reliance on innovation, science and best practices, and a truly collaborative approach to enhance decision making.Apart from the leaders’ segment, a dialogue took place on the pillars of a blue economy, these being: productivity through accelerated economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation; and sustainability through addressing climate change, controlling pollution and managing waste, and sustaining marine life.Many side events were held in parallel with the Leaders’ Commitments segment. Among others, the side event on the “Women of the Blue Economy: Lessons from the Field for better Equity and Participation” focused on the challenges for women in the fisheries sector through an interactive conversation among researchers, civil society members and policy makers on gender transformative processes and opportunities in the blue economy in Africa. 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 For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Leaders’ Commitment Segment   Monica Juma, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya   Keriako Tobiko, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya   Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada   Justin Mundy, Senior Fellow and Special Envoy for Conflict and Natural Resources, and Sustainable Ocean Initiatives, World Resources Institute (WRI), and Pavan Sukhdev, President, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International)   President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya   President Danny Faure, Seychelles   President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Somalia   President Mohamed Shein, Zanzibar, on behalf of Tanzania   President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Uganda   President Filipe Nyusi, Mozambique   Participants watch a video on the blue economy   Haydée Rodríguez Romero, Vice-Minister of Water and Seas, Costa Rica   Yuri Pimentel, Ministry of the People’s Power of Foreign Affairs, Venezuela Women of the Blue Economy: Lessons from the Field for Better Equity and Participation   Chair Bruce Currie-Alder, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)   Lisa Stadelbauer, High Commissioner and Ambassador, Canada   Kathryn Toure, IDRC   Jane Macharia, National Museums of Kenya   L-R: Tiffanie Rainville, Global Affairs Canada; Mahawa Kaba Wheeler, Director for Women, Gender and Development, African Union; Jackline Auma, Fisherwoman, Shakababo Lake Village, Tana River Delta, Tana County, Kenya; Fridah Githuku, Executive Director, Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS Kenya); Cynthia McDougall, WorldFish, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR); Margaret Nakato, Director, Katosi Women Development Trust; Moenieba Isaacs, University of the Western Cape; and Kwasi Appeaning Addo, University of Ghana   Jemimah Njuki, IDRC, moderating the discussion   Jackline Auma, Fisherwoman, Shakababo Lake Village, Tana River Delta, Tana County, Kenya   Margaret Nakato, Director, Katosi Women Development Trust   Fridah Githuku, GROOTS Kenya   Moenieba Isaacs, University of the Western Cape   Tiffanie Rainville, Global Affairs Canada   Cynthia McDougall, WorldFish, CGIAR   Kwasi Appeaning Addo, University of Ghana   Mahawa Kaba Wheeler, Director for Women, Gender and Development, African Union   A participant asks a question to the panelists   Participants during the event Around the Venue   Statue of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, first President of Kenya  

  The Finnish Wildlife Agency is presented with the 2018 CIC Markhor Award The Second Wildlife Forum took place on 21 November 2018, on the sidelines of the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.This event was organized under the theme, “Sustainable Use for Conservation and Livelihoods,” by the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW), a voluntary partnership of 14 international organizations working to promote the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife.The Forum brought together stakeholders from across the globe to discuss their shared experiences and seek creative solutions on issues related to the health and security of people and wildlife, the wild meat crisis, and the unsustainable use of wildlife. Participants engaged in four key sessions: People and Wildlife: Health and Security; Sharing Wild Meat: Resolving Conflicts between Subsistence and Commercial Uses; From Sites in Africa to Shelves in Asia: Solutions to Unsustainable Wildlife Use and Illegal Trade; and Wildlife and People in 2050: A Vision for Sustainable Wildlife Management. Discussions from the Forum will feed into the priorities on sustainable wildlife management for the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework. The summary from the meeting, with key messages will be forwarded to the Nature and Culture Summit held under the auspices of the Joint Programme of Work between the CBD and UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity (2001-2020). After a lunch break, a ceremony took place to launch an animation video, “Together we are Stronger,” illustrating CPW’s work on sustainable wildlife management. The video can be viewed here.During the event, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation’s biennial Markhor Award was presented to the Finnish Wildlife Agency’s “LIFE+ Return of Rural Wetlands” project that aims to ensure that wetlands remain a part of the Finnish “living landscape” in the future and do not fall behind as “lost memories.” Cristiana Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary, CBD, presided over the ceremony. The meeting concluded with a reception, where Hungary announced its intention to host the next CPW Wildlife Forum in Budapest, Hungary in 2021. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Session Delegates during the event Leah Wanambwa-Naess, African Union Commission David Cooper, CBD Deputy Executive Secretary and CPW Chair Daniel Kobei, International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, FAO and CPW Secretariat Panel Discussions Throughout the Day Session I - People and Wildlife: Health and Security (L-R): Marthin Kasaona, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia; Moderator Cristina Romanelli, CBD Secretariat; Suneetha Subramanian, United Nations University; Raja Sharma Rymbai, Indigenous Terra Madre Network Advisory Board Member (Southeast Asia), Slow Food; Catherine Machalaba, EcoHealth Alliance; and Jim Desmond, EcoHealth Alliance Session II - Sharing Wild Meat: Resolving Conflicts between Subsistence and Commercial Uses (L-R): Moderator John Fa, Center for International Forestry Research; Sarah Baker Ferguson, TRAFFIC Viet Nam; Philippe Mayaux, European Commission; and Shane Mahoney, Conservation Visions Session III - From Sites in Africa to Shelves in Asia: Solutions to Unsustainable Wildlife Use and Illegal Trade (L-R): Klemens Riha, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Bennett Mbapeua Kahuure, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia; Tjavarekua Elmarie Tjijahura, Women for Conservation, Namibia; Leah Wanambwa-Naess, African Union Commission; David Morgan, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Phil Franks, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED); Taye Teferi, TRAFFIC; and Roland Melisch, TRAFFIC Session IV - Wildlife and People in 2050: A Vision for Sustainable Wildlife Management (L-R): Fabiana Spinelli, CBD and Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister for Environment and Energy, Costa Rica Participants break out into world-café groups to discuss the vision for sustainable wildlife management Launch of the Report: "Toward a Sustainable, Participatory, and Inclusive Wild Meat Sector" The report "Toward a Sustainable, Participatory, and Inclusive Wild Meat Sector" is launched during the event John Fa, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Markhor Award Ceremony The Markhor Award for outstanding conservation performance Tamás Marghescu, Director General, International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) Mark Ryan, Deputy Director General, CIC Cristiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, presents the Markhor Award to the Finnish Wildlife Agency Closing Session Panel speakers during the closing session Cristiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary Hamdallah Zedan, Former CBD Executive Secretary, Representative of the Egypt COP presidency Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, FAO and CPW Secretariat Roland Melisch, TRAFFIC and CPW Vice-Chair Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, FAO, on behalf of CPW, presents key messages of the Forum to Hamdallah Zedan, Former CBD Executive Secretary, Representative of the Egypt COP presidency Evening Reception Participants gather for the evening reception Tamás Marghescu, Director General, CIC Roland Melisch, TRAFFIC and CPW Vice-Chair Budapest, Hungary, is announced as the next host for the CPW Wildlife Forum in 2021