Morocco. Blue Belt Initiative to ensure sustainable development of the fishing sector – The second edition of the high-level conference on the Blue Belt Initiative (BBI) was held yesterday in Agadir on the eve of the opening of the Fishing and Aquaculture Exhibition and was attended by several countries from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
The Moroccan-launched initiative of 2019 aims to promote strong, effective, and South-South multilateral cooperation for sustainable development of the fishing sector, a crucial component of the blue economy.
Since the first high-level conference, the world has undergone significant changes, with the entire human race being impacted by a polycrisis caused by cumulative, multiplicative, and successive factors over the past 3 years.
This unprecedented context has had a significant impact, causing disruptions in supply chains and imbalances in production lines that have heavily weighed on food security, particularly in Africa, due to the vulnerability of food systems.
In this regard, the fishing and aquaculture sector plays a crucial role in establishing the foundation of food system resilience.
The BBI initiative holds great promise in this context, particularly through the development of new forms of cooperation to provide concrete solutions to problems that cross borders.
The conference participants have called on states, international and regional fishing organizations, and funders to support this initiative and its institutionalization.
The Kingdom of Morocco has seized this opportunity to reiterate its commitment to work with all to operationalize this initiative and achieve the goals of sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon development for the benefit of people.
Morocco. Blue Belt Initiative to ensure sustainable development of the fishing sector