Oceans and Blue Economy

Geneva, Switzerland — June 2023

The June workshop held in Geneva, Switzerland under the theme, “A Sustainable Ocean and the Blue Economy: Balancing Ocean Health and Wealth with Global Trade” – hosted by the Remaking the Global Trading System for a Sustainable Future Project in collaboration with the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) – was designed to explore how trade policy can be effectively and responsibly harnessed for the sustainable development of the world’s or what is increasingly described as the Blue Economy. The Workshop was organized around five dedicated sessions which explored various dimensions of the trade/ocean interface including: 1) healthy oceans as a precondition to a sustainable trade and Blue Economy agenda; 2) sustainable ocean transportation; 3) sustainable fisheries management and subsidies; 4) marine plastic pollution; and 5) leveraging the value of the blue economy to secure its benefits sustainably.