“Blue Growth Initiative”

Presentation by Árni M. Mathiesen Assistant-Director General

Fisheries and Aquaculture DepartmentFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Side Event on Blue Growth Initiative, Wednesday 26 February 201432nd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East

(NERC-32, Rome, 24-28 February 2014)

• Work on the new Strategic Framework (SF).

• Restructuring in the department.

• Earlier strategy work.

• Future Papers, and

• 2030 Scenario.

Fertile Environment:

• “Fish is Food”.

• Contribution of Fisheries to Strategic Framework.

• “Green Economy in a Blue World”.

• Pacific-Small Islands Developing States (P-SIDS) and Yeosu “Blue Economy” definition.

• Emphasis of Conference through Indonesia on importance of “Blue Economy”, and

• Other inspirational national and international work. (Gabon Bleu, Programme halieutique, Bali Prep. Summit, Abu Dhabi Summit, The Hague Summit etc).

COFI 30 and Conference Emphasis:

Blue Globe: Health & Wealth from Oceans

• Healthy & nutritious food• Poverty relief • Jobs & livelihoods• Trade and wealth• Climate services

Blue Globe: Threats to Oceans & its potential

• Overfishing

• Overcapacity coupled with IUU fishing

• Climate change & oceans acidification

• Coastal degradation

• Biodiversity loss & habitat destruction

• Persistent poverty

Define and contextualize the contribution of marine and fresh water aquatic environment to the FAO overarching goals and the Strategic Framework, and the Departmental aim. With the purpose to further guide the work of FAO in fisheries, aquaculture and other areas of relevance.

The Decision:

“Improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.”

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):

Definition of The Green Economy:

“The sustainable development of our island countries relies on the health and vitality of the marine environment. For the Pacific SIDS, the ‘green economy’ is in fact a ‘blue economy.

Accordingly, we envision a Rio+20 agenda that prominently features the conservation and sustainable management of marine and ocean resources, and SIDS's ability to enjoy a greater share in the benefits derived from those resources.”

Pacific-Small Islands Developing States (P-SIDS):

The Blue Economy:

“The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable activities” defines “blue economy” as the global sharing of green growth based on new science and technology applied to the ocean.

Yeosu declaration:The Blue Economy:

Abu Dhabi Declaration on Blue Economy:

“Recognise the need for the further development and refinement of the Blue Economy concept and call for prompt action in that regard that, drawing from and building upon existing initiatives, to mainstream and enable the Blue Economy concept as a distinct tool on the international sustainable development agenda including the elaboration of Sustainable Development Goals that recognise the importance of the Blue Economy for sustainable development.”

• Choose to use “Blue Growth” rather than “Blue Economy” Other definitions of “Blue Economy” exist which includes:

- oil and mineral extraction from the sea bed, - transport sector, and- even the blue sky.

• A more dynamic term indicating movement towards a goal or goals as in the FAO overarching goals and Strategic Framework, and

• Emphasizes the Blue Growth contribution to goals and objectives.

The name:

“The Sustainable Contribution, and Conservation, of Living Renewable Resources in the Marine and Fresh Water Ecosystems as well as adjacent Coastal and Inland Ecosystems, to Food and Nutrition Security and Poverty Alleviation.”

The definition:The Blue Growth:

• Increasing population growth.

• Importance of fish as a nutrient far beyond the protein contribution, and

• 2030 Scenario.

Backdrop:

Fish demand driven by population and income

growth:

• Per capita fish demand in 2030 estimated based on assumptions:• GDP per capita projection by IMF • Prices unchanged• Preference unchanged

• Total fish demand in 2030 estimated based on:• Estimated per capita demand in

2030.• UN population projection in 2030.• Non-food fish demand unchanged

• Capture Fisheries.

• Aquaculture.

• Other or “novel” ecosystem services contributing to livelihoods, and

• Trade/markets/post harvest and social support.

Four Pathways:

Capture Fisheries:Increase, Sunken Billions, CCRF, EAF. Biological management and conservation, business management, political/economic management.

Contribution to Blue Growth :- 10 - 20

millions tonnes

- USD 50 billion annually

- Capture fisheries are an important source of food, nutrition, employment and income for millions of people, particularly in remote rural areas

- Capture fisheries face serious challenges:• Degraded environment and ecosystems• Overexploited fish stocks• IUU fishing• Climate change and ocean acidification

Aquaculture:GAAP, EAA. Biological management and conservation (incl. bio-security), business management, planning and regulatory implementation. Contribution to

Blue Growth:

• 50-100 million tonnes a year

Other or “novel” ecosystem services:Mangroves, storm/wave bulwarks, seagrass carbon sequestration and UN-REDD, greater symbiosis with crops (rice etc./fish production, fertilizer/pesticide runoffs), tourism (nature, culinary, culture), salt beds.

Contribution to Blue Growth: Sky’s the limit !!!

Trade/markets/post harvest and social support:

Waste reduction, non-food v. food utilization, customs tariff issues, most traded, social complexities in Small Scale Fisheries.

Contribution to Blue growth:

• From non-food: 10 million tonnes • From waste

food: 15 million tonnes

Blue Growth: Prospects for feeding & Sustaining a growing World population

.• Highly nutritious food to a

growing population

• Rich & precious biodiversity

• Jobs / livelihoods–especially for women

• Energy source: wind, wave, tides

• Blue carbon / carbon sequestration

Blue Growthlong-term sustainability = long-term benefits

• Eradicate food insecurity and malnutrition

• Ensure better health of oceans through:• sustainable

management of natural resources

• habitat preservation

• Improve equitable socio-economic development and human well -being

• FAO Corporate Initiative/Major Area of Work in the context of the Strategic Framework and the Strategic Objectives. Endorsed.

• Included in FAO Regional initiatives. Included in the Regional initiatives in the Near East:

1) Building resilience for enhanced food security and nutrition in the Near East and North Africa2) Water scarcity initiative3) Sustainable small-scale agriculture for inclusive development.

And a Regional initiative in Asia

• As a conceptual base and common banner for all FAO work in the defined sphere of “Blue Growth”.Anchored in SO2 as well as incorporated in other SOs.

• As a corporate Extra Budgetary Fund raising drive led by the FAO Technical Cooperation Department (TC) to benefit all that are working in implementation within the scope of the “Blue Growth” concept. Being prepared in cooperation between TC and FI.

• As a guiding light in our O6 “normative”, international cooperation, Corporate Technical Activities and advocacy work as well as in political messaging for the organization as a whole. DG’s speech at the Abu Dhabi Blue Economy Summit Jan. 2014.

• As a point of departure for the emphasis in the work of the Technical Network, being done, and• Most importantly, as a conceptual framework for country-level programmes.

Lombok, Indonesia etc.

How do we best use the “Blue Growth” concept to guide and support our work?

Good luck in applying the Blue Growth Concept !!!

شكرا!Merci!

Thank you