The World Ocean Summit brings together policymakers, business leaders, scientists, NGOs, technology developers, investors, and others from around the world to discuss solutions to protect marine environments and develop sustainable blue economy strategies. By convening stakeholders involved in the marine economy, it provides a platform to create new synergies, solutions, and strategies to achieve the 2030 target of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
Key to the event are the “How to” workshops which will provide an opportunity for summit participants to create action plans and exchange solutions. The summit will act as a precursor to the discussions taking place later in June during the United Nations Ocean Conference.
Japan is a maritime nation with over 14,000 islands and a coastline of 34,000 km, and its economy is thriving thanks to its use of marine resources. By 2030, the potential of the marine-related economy is expected to reach 28 trillion yen. Holding the conference in Tokyo will be an important opportunity for participants from the Asian region to collaborate with the global ocean community, making use of Japan’s cultural and historical knowledge of the sea.
This year’s summit, the 12th in the series, will focus on a wide range of topics, including decarbonization of the shipping industry, best practices in the blue foods sector, blue finance, marine pollution countermeasures, offshore renewable energy, sustainable tourism, ocean-climate solutions, and marine protected areas (MPAs). Over 145 speakers will participate in more than 60 sessions held during the conference to provide the latest information and ideas for ocean conservation and restoration. Speakers from overseas include the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, representatives from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Coral Triangle Initiative, as well as government representatives from Grenada, Taiwan, Seychelles, and South Korea. Speakers from Japan include the Nippon Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Mizuhu Financial Group, Nomura, and Seafood Legacy. High-level speakers include Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the ocean;
Surangel Whipps Jr., president, Palau; Yohei Sasakawa, chairman, The Nippon Foundation, Huang Hsiang-Wen, deputy minister, Ocean Affairs Council, Taiwan; Tamara Thomas, climate adviser, Seychelles; Jerry Enoe, ambassador and special envoy for ocean, Government of Grenada; and Myungjin Kim, director-general, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, South Korea.
International speakers will also include industry representatives from RWE, Iberostar, Ocean 14 Capital, and Thai Union.
To find out more about the event, visit: https://events.economist.com/world-ocean-summit/
