First Blue Economy summit in Abu Dhabi |21 January 2014

Setting new trajectory to develop oceans and seas

“We must not be afraid to set a new trajectory for development on our oceans and seas. We must not constrain our ambitions, even if experience tells us that change is difficult. It is in the face of such challenges that we must redouble our efforts.”

President James Michel said this when he opened the first Blue Economy summit yesterday afternoon at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam, Environment and Energy Minister, Professor Rolph Payet were part of the Seychelles delegation to the summit held on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which was officially opened yesterday morning by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing the 180 delegates for different parts of the world, President Michel noted that our oceans can unite us through friendship, through trade, through exchanges and as a shared space where we build our lives on a daily basis.

He added that Small Island Developing States (Sids) are usually the nations that are faced with least options with regard to economic sustainability.

“The traditional notions of economic organisation and models underscore our sense of isolation; they also bring to the fore our lack of opportunities. This is why this meeting on the Blue Economy is so crucial,” said the President.

Mr Michel thanked the government, leadership and people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for co-organising the Blue Economy summit with Seychelles, especially the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“Under the leadership of his Highness Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole, have risen to the challenges of sustainable development in a remarkable manner.
 
“Despite being one of the countries of the world with large endowments of fossil fuels, the UAE has sought to transform its initial economic success based on its investment in traditional energy sources into a future based on sustainable energy. We hail the success of Masdar and Masdar city as examples of what can be achieved in terms of sustainability. We salute the efforts of His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on ensuring that the Masdar model is not simply one for the UAE, but one which can be shared among developing countries to provide a catalyst for sustainable development,” said President Michel.

Mr Michel noted that Seychelles is pleased to have the opportunity to work with innovative and dynamic partners who are intent on maximising the policy options available to all states, whether large or small.

He noted that some people may not recognise the importance of this concept but one day the world will realise why we need sustainable development for our ocean as the cradle of life.

“The importance of the Blue Economy to humankind cannot be underestimated: over 70% of our planet is covered by ocean; 90% of the world’s trade in goods is conducted by sea. Oceans transcend states.  They connect us all to each other.  And we must harness these connections for development, not just enrichment. This is the crux of what it means to develop a Blue Economy: to create partnerships that allow us to harness our oceans for a paradigm shift in terms of action towards sustainable development,” said Mr Michel.

The President added that the Blue Economy concept is one that aims to transform unsustainable practices into sustainable ones and also embraces the vista of untapped potential that is available through enhanced exploration and sustainable exploitation of our oceanic spaces.

“We need to urgently address the inequalities and the unsustainable practices that mar ocean governance” in its current state. Illegal fishing, unrestricted and unsustainable commercial industrial fishing, the illegal dumping of toxic wastes, climate change, ocean acidification are all huge risks for our planet.  We also need to ensure that the benefits from economic activity in our oceans translate into real benefits for our populations.  We cannot consider that it is sustainable for certain large industrial fishing fleets to exploit the resources of one sea to the point of exhaustion and then simply move on to other areas.

“Inclusion, ownership and empowerment of coastal populations are core elements of implementing the Blue Economy. We must place local populations at the centre of our debate.  We must ensure that our oceans create opportunities for our people.  Capacity building is key to ensuring that our people are able to build livelihoods that can create and share wealth as widely as possible,” concluded President Michel.

John W. Ashe, the president of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly said the summit  provided  an  opportunity  to  advance  discussions  about  the sustainability of one of the world’s mightiest and most valuable assets: our oceans.

He commended Seychelles, a proud small island state, for its leadership in keeping the issue of the blue economy at the forefront of everyone’s attention during the preparatory process of the Third   International Small Island Developing States Conference, to be held this September in Apia, Samoa.

Mr Ashe also thanked the UAE for providing a platform for the summit, in a city that is now well-known  for its pioneering approach to sustainability.

“Our host country, not only shows determination to lead on sustainability, but is a strong advocate for South-South cooperation and supports other developing countries in achieving their sustainable development goals,” said Mr Ashe.

He noted that the expression ‘The Blue Economy’ entered the United Nations (UN) lexicon during the 2011-12 preparations for the Rio+20 Conference and it has come to mean a way of life or environmental, economic and social development that is linked to seas and oceans.

“Few countries are so acutely aware of the importance of oceans for sustainable development and livelihoods as our two host nations, both of which are intricately tied to the seas that surround them. Sids have a special appreciation of seas and oceans.

“With oceans covering two-thirds of the earth’s surface, humankind’s relationship with these vast bodies of water is an essential one. The oceans are in a very real sense the bloodstream of our planet. They are also the source of livelihood for large numbers of people - over three billion – who depend upon them. Oceans and coastal regions are key to poverty reduction and support a range of industries from fisheries to shipping, from tourism to marine transportation, often providing income opportunities for vulnerable groups such as women and youth. Ocean resources are the major source of protein for more than 2.6 billion people globally and are a regulator of greenhouses gases by capturing and storing 30% of the carbon humans produce,” recalled Mr Ashe.

The Blue Economy summit was an important milestone in identifying the right policy frameworks that support the shift of Sids and coastal regions toward sustainable development.

During the United Nation’s Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, September 2014, in Apia, Samoa, island nations and ocean-linked communities will address how to adopt a sustainable trajectory.

“The UAE is working closely with the international community to address sustainable economic growth, global food security, environmental protection and the impacts climate change,” said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and also chairman of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company. “From our fishing to our tourism industry, maintaining the health of our coastlines, mangrove forests and oceans is vital to our economy. Today’s Blue Economy summit places a renewed emphasis on the critical need to address the long-term sustainability of our international waters.

“We must work together to find the right policy frameworks and commercial opportunities to balance and protect the health of our oceans,” said Dr Al Jaber.