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‘Growing Blue’ Conference brings to Mozambique experts from around the world
12:06 CAT | 22 May 2019
Heads of state, government officials from various countries and representatives from international organisations will be in Maputo on the 23rd and 24th of May to participate in the ‘Growing Blue’ international blue economy conference.
Experts from around the world gather in Maputo on Thursday and Friday for the ‘Growing Blue’ [‘Crescendo Azul’] international conference, which is promoted by the Mozambican government. The event, which is being held at the Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre, aims to promote the ‘blue economy’ through thematic debates related to the sustainability of the world’s seas and oceans.
The event’s opening speech will be delivered by President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi of Mozambique.
In addition to ministers from the Mozambican government and other African countries, the attendance of prominent figures such as President of the Seychelles, Danny Foure, has been confirmed.
Nine ministers from the southern region of Africa and beyond, as well as Portugal’s Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino; Norway’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jens Frolich Holte; the United Nations Special Envoy for the Oceans, Peter Thomson; the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesima; and the World Bank representative in Mozambique, Mark Lundell, are among those attending.
Mozambique is therefore at the forefront of nature conservation issues, while responding to the UN challenge for all nations to join forces on issues related to the protection of the planet through the sustainable use of resources including the oceans.
The biennial international conference is supported by Norway and other cooperation partners, and takes as its theme the ‘Sustainable and Shared Exploitation of the Ocean’, focusing on the importance of the seas and oceans to humanity as a source of life.
The western Indian Ocean region, and the Mozambique Channel in particular, is extremely rich in biodiversity and marine coastal ecosystems, making Mozambique a country with immense natural wealth. Its 2,700 kilometre-long coastline has many riches and potential that must be preserved, especially in light of the country’s vulnerability to climate change.
Mozambique intends the ‘Growing Blue’ conference to promote a platform based on innovation and scientific and technological research that allows all these elements to be applied in the field of the blue economy and become a lever for the development of the country.
The objective is also to identify joint lines of action that will help accelerate the implementation of the national, regional and international commitments made by the countries of the Western Indian Ocean region.
For more information, go to http://www.growingblueconference.gov.mz.
To access the full programme and scheduled speakers, in Portuguese, click HERE
Source: Government of Mozambique / Crescendo Azul / Press release
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