SIDE EVENT

Promoting Blue Partnership for a Shared Sustainable Future

Time: 11:30-12:45, 29 June 2022 Wednesday (UTC+1, Lisbon Time)

Venue: Side Event Room 2, inside the Conference Venue, the Altice Arena


BACKGROUND

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 calls for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources. To achieve the Ocean Sustainable Development Goals, China, together with the relevant partners, is actively promoting the establishment of Blue Partnership as part of the joint efforts to implement SDG14 and address global concerns.

In the signed article published in the Portuguese newspaper “Diário de Notícias” in 2018, the Chinese president Xi Jinping stated the importance to develop the Blue Partnership. The concept of Building Blue Partnership was put forward by the Chinese Delegation in last UN Ocean Conference and call for worldwide collaboration to improve the sustainable ocean governance. So far, China has improved the Blue Partnership with many countries, and witnessed the fruitful marine cooperation coming out of the High-level dialogue mechanism on integrated marine management, such as the China-EU Blue Partnership Forum and China-Island States Marine Ministers Roundtable, etc. Blue Partnership will, bilaterally and multilaterally, empower the global ocean community to deliver actions for the ocean we want.

CONTENT

This side event aims to introduce the common vision of the Blue Partnership, launch the recommended principles and the Sustainable Blue Partnership Cooperation Network and Action Fund, and share the global progress of the Blue Partnership including the World Coastal Forum, and the Deep-Ocean Typical Habitats Project, etc. Speakers will sit together to explore a new model of ocean cooperation featuring inclusiveness and flexibility, in order to move forward towards the view of together sharing a sustainable future.

To echo the 2022 UN Ocean Conference theme “Scaling up Ocean Action Based on Science and Innovation for the Implementation of Goal 14: Stocktaking, Partnerships, and Solutions”, the side event will embody the interactive dialogue topics of the official session, such as Topic 2: Managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, Topic 3: Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification, deoxygenating and ocean warning, Topic 5: Promoting and strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for small island developing States and least developed countries and Topic 6: Increasing scientific knowledge and developing research capacity and transfer of marine technology.


Promoting Blue Partnership for a Shared Sustainable Future

Time: 11:30-12:45, 29 June 2022 Wednesday (UTC+1, Lisbon Time)

Venue: Side Event Room 2, inside the Conference Venue, the Altice Arena

Time

Agenda

11:30-11:40
(10 mins)

Opening Remarks
  • Mr. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean
  • Dr Zhang Zhanhai, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the People’s Republic of China

11:40-12:15
(35 mins)

Panel 1: Promoting Blue Partnership with strengthened exchange and cooperation
  • Dr.Pornsri Suthanaruk, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
  • Ms. Nancy Soi, Coordinator, Reginal Seas Programme,United Nations Environment Programme
  • Ms. Usha Rao-Monari, Under Secretary General and Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (TBD)
  • Mr. Zhang Jing, Manager, Marine Conservation Program

12:15-12:45
(30 mins)

Panel 2: Practices and Opportunities under Blue Partnership
  • Ms. Patricia Zurita, Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife International
  • Mr. Solo Mara, Secretary-General of Pacific Islands Development Forum
  • Ms. Minna Epps, Head of Ocean Team, Conservation Action Centre, IUCN
  • Ms. Gao Yan, Senior Engineer, China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration

12:45

Summary and Closing

Organizer  and Organizing Partners

Organizer: Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China
Organizing partners: World Economic Forum (Friends of Ocean Action), SEE Foundation, Eco Foundation Global & Birdlife International (International Coordinators of the World Coastal Forum Establishment Group), and China Oceanic Development Foundation.



Scale and Eligibility

The side event is expected to host 100 participants, including invited speakers, guests, and delegates from Blue Partnership member states and partner organizations. We also welcome all UNOC 2022 participants with valid Conference access badges issued by UN Security to attend.

Contact

If you have any questions, please reach us at yuao_cally@sina.com, copying xi.xie@weforum.org and zhangjing@see.org.cn.