By: Ameen Kadry

Over 350 people have gathered for the 2nd UfM Stakeholder Conference on Sustainable Blue Economy taking place and in Athens. Public and private officials, as well as key civil society actors  discussed the progress made to date and next steps for the implementation of the 10 priority cooperation areas endorsed by the 43 UfM Member States in the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy. The conference served as a forum for the exchange of knowledge and best practices while also charting the course for further political deliberations.

The conference featured 11 parallel multi-stakeholder workshops designed to facilitate capacity building and engagement:

Marine research and innovation for a sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean Blue skills, career pathways, and employment for a sustainable blue economy Sustainable food from the sea: fisheries and aquaculture Sustainable, climate-neutral and zero-pollution maritime transport and ports Tackling marine litter for a sustainable blue economy Sustainable blue economy initiatives under the territorial context of islands Sustainable maritime and coastal tourism Ecosystem-based integrated coastal zone management and maritime spatial planning as cross-sectors enablers Marine renewable energies Maritime safety and security of blue economy activities The blue finance process in the Mediterranean

The discussions held within each of these will provide the basis for the revision of the roadmap for the implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy. There will also be networking activities, including B2B sessions to provide acceleration services to innovative SMEs fostering internationalisation and to upgrade skills towards a more uniform maritime cluster ecosystem in the Mediterranean basin. The event will come to a close with a session on upcoming projects, calls and financial opportunities.