Blue Economy: World Ocean Council to empower island countries

Paul Holthus, CEO of WOC

The World Ocean Council (WOC) has stated that it is working with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to organize an official an event on the need for islands to become more resilient and adapted to climate variability and changes and the opportunities of the Blue Economy.

Speaking at the 25th Conference of Parties (COP 25) for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the World Ocean Council (WOC) CEO Paul Holthus highlighted the importance and opportunity for engaging the ocean business and investment community and the role of the WOC in working with island countries in:
1. Improving early warning and disaster preparedness by increasing the ocean weather and climate data collected via commercial vessels and platforms (WOC “SMART Ocean-SMART Industries” program)
2. Ensuring adaptation of port/coastal infrastructure to extreme weather events and sea level rise by engaging the ocean business, port development and investment communities
3. Advancing the Blue Economy by ensuring ocean business and investment community involvement in island country efforts to develop Blue Economy strategies and conferencesPaul HolthusSpeaking at the event, the World Ocean Council (WOC) CEO highlighted the importance and opportunity for engaging the ocean business and investment community and the role of the WOC in working with island countries in:
1. Improving early warning and disaster preparedness by increasing the ocean weather and climate data collected via commercial vessels and platforms (WOC “SMART Ocean-SMART Industries” program)
2. Ensuring adaptation of port/coastal infrastructure to extreme weather events and sea level rise by engaging the ocean business, port development and investment communities
3. Advancing the Blue Economy by ensuring ocean business and investment community involvement in island country efforts to develop Blue Economy strategies and conferences

Governments, development partners, NGOs, civil society and the private sector have been working together to develop climate adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce risks in these countries. Ports and coastal infrastructure are an economic lifeline for SIDS. Ensuring the resilience, operability and sustainability of this infrastructure in the face of climate change is essential to the SIDS development. Adaption finance, public-private partnerships and other investments are critical to building greater resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards and contributing to sustainable development of small island countries.

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