Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi , Kenya

The first Sustainable Blue Economy Conference was held in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. It was organized by Kenya and co-hosted by Japan and Canada.

“India endorses the growth of the Blue Economy in a sustainable, inclusive and people centered manner through the framework of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)”.

Major Highlights:

Sagarmala Programme –

• It has identified 600 plus projects entailing a huge investment of $120 billion (nearly Rs. 8 lakh crore) by 2020.
• It saves India $6 billion per annum in logistics costs besides creating 10 million new jobs and boosting port capacity by 800 Million Metric Tonne per Annum (MMTPA) to an overall 3500 MMTPA.

Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs) –

• It is developed with a proposed investment of $150 Million per location.
• It will become a microcosm of the blue economy, with the growth of industries and townships that depend on the sea and contribute to global trade through sea connectivity.
• It also focuses on the development of coastal communities and people through skill gap analysis, skill development centers to train coastal communities in the sustainable use of ocean resources, modern fishing techniques and coastal tourism.
• Several green initiatives were taken in the coastal regions like 31 MW of captive solar power generation at various ports, installation of oil spill response facilities, and
• Study to identify ways to re-use waste water at ports.

Important Role of Private Sector –

• The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) took lead in 2016-2017 by establishing a taskforce to develop a business model on India’s engagement in the blue economy sector.

Background:

The Sustainable Blue Economy Conference is the first global conference on the sustainable blue economy.

It builds on the momentum of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris and the UN Ocean Conference 2017 “Call to Action”.

The world has rallied around the enormous pressures facing our oceans and waters, from plastic pollution to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, there is international recognition that we need to develop our waters in an inclusive and sustainable manner for the benefit of all.

Source: PIB