The ocean has been recognized as one of the priority policy agendas in climate change discussions, and the blue economy has been promoted as a way to bolster conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources while at the same time to pursue sustainable development and improve livelihood. The Government of Kenya successfully hosted the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference (SBEC) in Nairobi last November, and adopted the Nairobi Statement, which emphasized the importance of promoting action-oriented global strategies.

The Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF) will take this great opportunity of TICAD VII to be held in Yokohama just nine months after SBEC to gather relevant stakeholders from Africa and Japan at a side event on August 27 to discuss possible partnerships for promoting tangible actions towards achieving a sustainable blue economy, including sectors such as governments, academia, research institutes, NGOs, and international cooperation agencies.

In addition, OPRI-SPF will host a side event on blue carbon on August 28. Blue carbon ecosystems consisting of seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and seaweed beds can mitigate global warming through CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere and provide co-benefits to human beings, including through the provision of food, water purification, and cultural and educational values. At the event, African and Japanese researchers and practitioners will share good examples of the sustainable use of blue carbon resources through conservation and restoration activities, and discuss possible collaborative actions through the involvement of various stakeholders.

If you have an interest in the above issues, please register through the "Registration" button at the bottom of this page by Friday August 23, 2019. Please note that both events will be conducted in English, and a maximum of 50 people will be accepted in the order of registration for each event. The outline of the events has been made available here for reference, with a more substantiated program to be shared in due course.