{"id":437,"date":"2025-06-19T09:34:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T09:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/blue-justice\/?p=437"},"modified":"2025-06-19T09:38:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T09:38:00","slug":"championing-fair-and-inclusive-blue-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/blue-justice\/2025\/06\/19\/championing-fair-and-inclusive-blue-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Championing fair and inclusive blue economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dr Senia Febrica (right) and Dr Celine Germond-Duret (third right) along with Fabien Cousteau (centre) and other side-event participants.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Lancaster University led in-person side-event titled \u2018Ocean justice: Championing fair and inclusive blue economy\u2019 took place on Monday, 9 June 2025. This solution-focused event explored how different delegates understand ocean justice and the obstacles to achieve inclusive blue economy. The event provided an avenue for delegates to share their innovation and best practices that could serve as viable routes to ocean justice.<\/span><\/p>

The event was chaired by Dr Senia Febrica, Research Associate, Lancaster University. It spoke directly to the goal of \u201cVoluntary Ocean Commitments\u201d by mobilizing and engaging all relevant stakeholders including governments, different UN bodies, and civil society from the Global North and the Global South that are vital for transforming into sustainable and inclusive ocean-based economies and achieving Goal 14 and its targets. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Dr Celine Germond-Duret, Lecturer in Environmental Politics and Policy, Lancaster University noted that \u2018ocean-dependent communities should be treated as active partners, rather than participants in the blue economy processes\u2019, stressing the importance of mutual learning and meaningful participation of communities in decision-making processes. She called for the recognition of different types of ocean justice(s) to reflect local specificities and challenges.<\/span><\/p>

Ms Alison Clausen, Deputy Global Coordinator of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO further explained that \u2018ensuring meaningful participation of communities in blue economy include providing capacity building to enable communities to participate in negotiation and management of community-led initiatives.\u2019<\/span><\/p>

Dr Francois Bailet, Senior Legal Officer, United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of The Sea (UNDOALOS), pointed out the urgency to find new financial innovation and creative ways for inclusive blue economy where human and nature can thrive, for example through \u2018blended finance\u2019, \u2018public-private partnership\u2019, \u2018blue bond\u2019.<\/span><\/p>

Mr Yoshioka Tatsuya, Founder of Peace Boat and Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US stressed that we can only achieve fair and inclusive blue economy by strengthening the capacity of young people to access marine science and to actively participate in blue economy and ocean-climate-biodiversity governance.<\/span><\/p>

Drawing from the best practices and experience of the Government of Fiji, Mr. Andrew Coriakula, Ocean Specialist, Head of Unit-Ocean, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Government of Fiji highlighted the importance of explicit recognition of customary law, tenure systems and traditional knowledge in constitution and legislation to protect the human rights of ocean-dependent communities in the context of blue economy development.<\/span><\/p>

Ms. Maria Catalina Garcia Chaves, University of Amsterdam, Erigaie NGO, Colombia; Mr Gonzalo Rodr\u00edguez Prado, National Directorate for Aquatic Resources, Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay; and Dr.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Anas Alamoush, World Maritime University urged ocean stakeholders to address the negative consequences of blue economy development towards Indigenous People, small-scale fishers, women and girls, young people and children around the world and advance \u2018justice\u2019 approach in blue economy that take into accounts the rights of human and more than human world.<\/span><\/p>

\u2018Less talk and more action to protect the ocean. We need to increase investment and funding for a healthy ocean. Ocean is 99% of planet living space where biodiversity thrives, yet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 is the least funded SDG. A healthy ocean will contribute to our health and longevity of ocean economies.\u2019 With these words Fabien Cousteau, third generation of aquanaut, founder and chief oceanic explorer of Proteus Ocean Group concluded the event.<\/span><\/p>

During discussions, delegates emphasised the critical need to:<\/span><\/p>