Africa surrounded by vast oceans have a great potential of benefiting from sustainable blue economies. Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are an important component of such blue economies. To leap from such potentials, a number of enabling policies and conditions need to be secured such as ocean management policies and plans, institutional arrangements, sustainable resource management guidelines, social and environmental safeguarding protocols, illegal-unreported-unregulated (IUU) fishing elimination, blue finance, cross-sectoral collaboration, science and technology, innovation, regional cooperation and international partnership. It is vital to forge regional cooperation as fishery resources migrate across borders and collective and concerted actions by coastal states are essential for promoting sustainable fishery resource management and eliminating IUU fishing. One of the key aspects is to enhance market values of fishery commodities without undermining marine resource sustainability. Fishery and harvesting strategies need to be devised and adapted to the changing resource availability, market demands and conditions. Sustainability of feedstock for aquaculture is another key aspect. Balancing conservation and sustainable use of ocean and marine resources is an increasingly important policy agenda in the efforts to move towards achieving a higher target of marine environment protection. Co-benefits of conservation and sustainable use must be pursued through interdisciplinary policy approaches. The proposed side event highlights the achievements and challenges in pursuing sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the context of sustainable blue economies in African and articulate priority for regional cooperation and international partnership.
 
It will contribute to the discussions on SDG14 in general in particularly SDG14.4 (Eliminating IUU fishing), SDG14.5 (MPAs), SDG14.6 (Prohibiting IUU fishery subsidies), SDG14.7 (Increasing economic benefits to small island developing states), SDG14.b (providing access for small-scale artisanal fisheries).

 

 

Mr. Shingo Miyake, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan
H.E. Fredrick L. Matwang’a, Ambassador and Director for Economic Affairs and Commercial Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kenya
H.E. Mathu Joyini, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations in New York
H.E. Mr. Ben Rjiba, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Portugal, Tunisian Republic
Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director The Nippon Foundation
Ms. Chantal De Cupetino Koko, Regional Director, Blue Economy Bureau, Ministry of Fishery and Blue Economy, Republic of Madagascar
Dr. Geraldine Fraser-Moloketi, Chairperson, Thabo Mbeki Foundation (Video)
Mr. Semiao Lopes, CEO, ProAzul, Mozambique (Mozambique’s National Fund for Blue Economy), Republic of Mozambique
Dr. Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, OIC/Director, Manager, Climate and Green Growth Division, African Development Bank
Dr. Bernice McLean, Head of Blue Economy in the Industrialisation Division, African Union Development Agency (AUDA)–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Dr. Hide Sakaguchi, President, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Moderator: Mr. Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow, OPRI-SPF

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We look forward to seeing you at the event.