A high-level expert delegation from Antigua and Barbuda has joined a major global gathering in Nice, France for the UN Oceans Conference, which takes place from the 9 – 13 June.
Antigua and Barbuda is using the opportunity to shine the spotlight on the Department of the Blue Economy and its work and vision for the protection and sustainable use of the country’s marine resources.
This was the focus of a side event that was hosted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the People’s Republic of China on the margins of the conference being attended by over 10,000 delegates from around the globe, in a major push to address the increasing threats to the world’s oceans.
The theme of the activity was Blueprints for the Future: Marine Spatial Planning, Financing, Ocean Data-driven making and Global Cooperation, and was organized as part of the Department’s thrust to inspire action in support of the sustainable development of the blue economy. The event also sought to define Antigua and Barbuda’s leadership in advancing Marine Spatial Planning and forge stronger partnerships on sustainable marine resource management.
The country’s delegation in France is led by Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Anthony Smith Jr, who explained Antigua and Barbuda’s unique advantages in prioritizing its work in the blue economy.
“…we are advantageously positioned to pioneer research on the Blue Economy and Development in the Caribbean region and thus capitalise on the development potential of this emerging sector to fuel new economic activities and support industries and communities,” Minister Smith explained.
The Five Islands Campus of the University of the West Indies in Antigua and Barbuda already has a Centre for Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy (COBE), another major strategic advantage that highlights Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to sustainable ocean development. In that connection, the Antigua and Barbuda delegation in France also includes the Executive Director of the Centre, Dr. Branson Belle.
“The Centre aims to strengthen institutional capacity in areas related to marine science and the blue economy, while capitalising on the economic opportunities for the Caribbean within this emerging sector, in areas such as aquaculture, marine renewable energy, biotechnology and sea vegetable farming,” Smith further advised.
Also included in the team of diverse expertise attending the Oceans Conference are Ambassador at Large, Dean Jonas, and Climate Ambassador, Ruleta Camacho-Thomas.
The other members of the delegation include First Secretary at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission to the United Nations Asha Challenger and Project Development Officer at the Department of the Blue Economy Ann-Louise Hill.
Also collaborating with Antigua and Barbuda in organizing the event were the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)and the University of the West Indies (UWI).
