Commonwealth Secretariat High-level side event on Blue Economy

​The Pacific region has played an outsized leadership role in advancing international Ocean policy through regional and international norm-creating bodies. At the multilateral level, SIDS have been engaged in negotiations that seek to create a global common cause on Oceans. These negotiations have resulted in constructive outcomes including the establishment of global best practice as reflected in the SAMOA Pathway, as well as a standalone Sustainable Development Goal on Oceans - Goal 14. 

These efforts and outcomes are a result of the high priority that the Pacific region attaches to the sustainable use of ocean resources. This high priority is elaborated in the Forum Communiqué and Pohnpei Oceans Statement issued at the 47th Forum Leaders Meeting convened in Pohnpei, FSM in 2016. 

The focus of Pacific Island States on the Ocean is a longstanding one and reflected in decades of policy development including the establishment of a Pacific Islands Regional Oceans Policy (PIROP) and the Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape. The latter giving rise to the establishment of the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC).
 
UNCTAD has contributed jointly with the Commonwealth by providing support to developing countries, and particularly to SIDS and LDCs, in assessing the opportunities and challenges of the Oceans Economy. This has been evident in a series of Global Expert Meeting organised over the last four years in Geneva on themes such as the Oceans economy, sustainable fisheries, transport connectivity, and tourism. UNCTAD is supporting countries in understanding the options and implications of the fish subsidies negotiations in the WTO and in the design and implementation of Oceans Economy and Trade Strategies. 

The Oceans Conference presents a unique opportunity for policy-makers from Small Island Developing States, alongside development partners, to discuss the mainstreaming of Oceans policy into national development plans and priorities. This session will invite the reflections of policy experts on effective mainstreaming of Oceans policy and the sharing of ideas and experiences between high level representatives.

It will also offer an opportunity to get feedback on what are the needs of Pacific countries in promoting oceans economic sectors and what should be the role for the PIFS, UNCTAD and the Commonwealth Secretariat in the implementation of the United Nations Oceans Conference. 

Speakers:

• The Pacific Ocean Commissioner - Dame Meg Taylor will co-Chair this event 
• Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development - Mukhisa Kituyi 
• Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat - Dame Patricia Scotland 
• Prime Minister of Samoa 
• Vice-Chancellor USP

Partners:

Pacific Islands Forum, Member countries - Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu Vanuatu.

Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) - FFA, PIFS, SPC, SPREP, USP, SPTO, PPA, PASO, PIDP Pacific Ocean Alliance members, which may include - Conservation International, CSIRO, PNAO, SPRFMO, WCPFC, PIDF, IUCN, WWF Pacific, UOW, UNU, IISD, IASS, USAID, GIZ, DIVA, PANG, PACFAW, World Bank Group, European Union, Commonwealth Secretariat, UNDP, and CBD. 

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