There are no sustainable islands without sustainable oceans- Seychelles President at UNDP-GEF high level panel in Samoa
Tue, 02 September 2014 | Foreign Affairs
President James Michel has reiterated his advocacy of the Blue Economy as the centre of sustainable development of small island states, and called for the effective management of oceans where Small Island Developing States are empowered to do so, and where the youth plays a major role in its development.
“… the world's oceans are under-appreciated unfortunately. We take them for granted for the finite resources they provide. While we also have yet to actually scratch the surface of all the additional opportunities that they can provide- from energy to new sources of food, and not to mention the mineral resources that lie beneath the waves,” he said in an address today.
The President spoke today at a high-level panel in a side-event under the theme ‘From Ridge to Reef and beyond- From Small Island States to Large Ocean States’, which was co-chaired by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, and the CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Dr. Naoko Ishii, and included the participation of the President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau and the Ambassador of Grenada to the US, Dr. Angus Friday. It should be noted that Seychelles, Palau and Grenada are also the co-chairs of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA).
The President noted that Marine Spatial Planning is a critical tool for islands to effectively make use and sustainably manage their oceans and seas. Seychelles is currently preparing a Martine Spatial Plan with the technical support of 'The Nature Conservancy' (TNC).
He said that marine spatial planning allows countries to balance effectively between often conflicting activities- the imperatives of conservation and the necessities of preserving community fishing rights for example, and illustrated the positive trend of more and more local fishermen being active in civil society.
He also emphasized the role of young people in creating a Blue Economy:
“We must also engage our young people. We must build the understanding of our ocean as common heritage, and as opportunity for a new generation. We must encourage innovation, and entrepreneurship that looks to engage with the sea in new ways,” said the President.
President Michel said that he is proud that the African Union has made the Blue Economy a key part of its Agenda 2063, as this is ‘a recognition that Africa's oceans have yet to truly benefit Africans.’
“We must reclaim our oceans as part of our development process,” he said.
Mr. Michel said that as the world community re-calibrates its development goals towards 'Sustainable Development Goals,' one of these SDGS needs to address oceans explicitly otherwise the concept of sustainability will remain a ‘mythical concept.’
“I would also like to emphasise the importance of research as we move to a Blue Economy and we need capacity building for this. Most islands that are blessed with a large EEZ do not have the technology or the manpower to engage in the research required to properly negotiate commercial agreements that are based on scientific principles or the collection of objective data. We are reliant on partners to assist us with this,” he said.
He also thanked the Commonwealth for their initiative in assisting Seychelles to develop its Blue Economy Planning based on objective data available; however he called for a global commitment to invest more in oceanic research.