Honourable Ministers Permanent Secretaries
Private Sector & CSO Representatives Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
On behalf of the Coalition Government, please allow me to express warmgreetings and appreciation to you for being here at this critical workshop.
And if my good friend and wise expert in marine studies Prof Joeli Veitayaki isamong us today, I would like to offer a special welcome to him also.
It is an honor to represent our Coalition Government in co- convening such a vital gathering that is focused on identifying the actions needed, to build the path towards the impactfully sustainable development of our ocean.
The Blue Economy is a crucial part of our effort to ensure a brighter future forall people of Fiji today and for our generations to come.
The Blue Economy emphasizes sustainable economic growth while also ensuring environmental and social sustainability — the two must be mutuallyinclusive.
Ladies and gentlemen, the traditional custodians of the land and sea, whom we gratefully acknowledge today, are our enduring connection to the ocean and thus we depend on their leadership for a healthy and thriving marine ecosystem.
Our ocean provides us with protein, shelter, and employment and is thus so integralto the heritage, customary practices and livelihoods of our people.
In Fiji, we feel the deep honor towards the ‘Mana’ of our seas, acknowledging its power, strength and protection when we offer it proper care.
This reverence must guide our policy approaches and our actions, recognisingthat this forms vital building blocks of our broader climate resilience strategy.
The Importance of the Blue Economy:
Fiji, as we know, like our Pacific neighbors are large ocean states. Contrasted against our Land Area of 18,274 square kilometers, our massive ExclusiveEconomic Zone (EEZ) spans
1.29 million square kilometers.
That is alot of ocean!
If we want to leverage our ocean resources to prudently promote economic growth, it is only possible if it is built on the foundation of a healthy marine ecosystem to sustain our thriving communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, various Blue Economy initiatives, such as those in theTourism Sector, the Fisheries Sector (either inshore or offshore) or movingtowards Green Shipping — all have the potential to sustainably contribute towards our economy.
Unlike an Ocean Economy that prioritizes unchecked development over ouroceans health, we are all aware that a Blue Economy underscores the use ofocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and marine ecosystem health — firmly with tomorrow in mind.
As a member of the high-level Ocean Panel, Fiji is working to build a Sustainable Blue Economy.
Presently, the National Ocean Policy supports this commitment.
This policy aims to promote economic growth while protecting the environment and improving the livelihoods of our people. It also encourages the diversification of ocean- based economies, so as to explore new sustainable industries and innovation in our marine sector.
At the “Our Ocean” Conference in Greece and the inaugural Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Meeting in the Republic of Cyprus, Fiji joined other world leaders in a collective call for ocean action.
Advancing our efforts towards our Blue Economy, is a key piece of this concerted ocean commitment.
Numerous partners such as regional governance mechanisms, NGOs, community-based organizations, private sector leaders and others — all of whom we also gratefully acknowledge — have also joined this effort.
We are co-hosting this workshop with Blue Prosperity Fiji to align a vision for our Blue Economy, and address obstacles, while identifying opportunitiesthat can further unlock Fiji’s sustainable blue economy.
Commitment to Marine Protection & Marine Spatial Planning:
Ecosystem services from our marine ecosystem, such as fisheries and coastal protection such as from mangroves, are vital contributions from the ocean, to theeconomy.
But these ecosystem services can only be guaranteed when we have a healthy ocean teeming with life and vitality.
Safeguarding our ocean is thus very necessary.
Ladies and gentlemen, Fiji was one of the first countries to commit toprotecting 30% of our ocean as “Marine Protected Areas” in 2005.
Since then, more than 190 countries have also agreed that protecting 30% of theiroceans are critical for the future of our planet.
Yet, for Fiji we need to meet that commitment with action.
To implement this policy, and sustainably manage 100% of our ocean space, while designating 30% as fully protected areas, the Blue Prosperity Fiji Program was launched.
Guided by a holistic approach, Blue Prosperity Fiji integrates genuine community consultations, scientific research, and traditional knowledge to support healthy oceans, thriving communities, and robust ocean industries and fisheries.
I understand that as part of the Blue Prosperity Fiji program, the largestnationwide coral reef survey ever done in Fiji over four months, was recentlycompleted.
This included surveys, where divers studied coral reef habitats at 272locations across Fiji and encountered almost 500 different species of fish.
This Ocean Science Expedition was a historic moment for Fiji and willsignificantly improve our understanding of the current condition of our coral reefs.
The findings can provide us with important data to better understand what lies underneath our ocean surface.
Ladies and gentlemen, that expedition simply confirms that enhancing MarineSpatial Planning is critical for supporting a thriving Blue Economy.
Marine Spatial Planning balances the competing demands on marine resources and ensures that they are used in an environmentally responsible, economicallybeneficial, and socially equitable way.
It also helps to identify important marine habitats and species that need protection,and assists in our understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on ourmarine environment.
There is a saying also known as the First Law of Ecology & Environmental Science, that goes: Everything is connected to everything else.
The same is also true in Economics.
While these valuable steps on sectoral marine spatial planning is very welcomeand valuable, Fiji’s Blue Economy is also intimately connected to what happens on Land.
The much awaited update to Fiji’s Natural Resource Inventory and National Stateof the Environment report will help fit all the pieces together.
I believe work has begun on a Natural Resource Inventory database, for which I take a keen personal interest — as I had written 6 sectoral volumes for Fiji’sNatural Resource Inventory way back in 2010, which was supposed to be followed up with an economic valuation.
Because our natural environment is so symbiotically linked, all our findings andplans must be synchronously evaluated and analysed, to give us a complete picture.This work must also align with the soon to be available National DevelopmentPlan.
After all, a vibrant coral reef system faces grave risks if toxic chemicals bleeds from our waterways into the marine ecosystem.
Collaborative Partnerships:
It therefore stands to reason that collaboration and partnerships at every level—local, regional, and international—are pivotal in order to effectively tackle the multi-layered challenges facing our oceans, such as climate change and ocean warming.
Government agencies, local communities, municipal councils, academia, the mediaand the private sector are all important stakeholders for researching, planning and implementing strategies that will drive our collective success.
Today’s workshop is a prime example of the power of collaboration at work,especially when the vision is a shared one.
At the Pacific regional level, Fiji as one of the many large ocean states within the Blue Pacific continent, helped develop the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Now we must continue that momentum and share that vision further.
Empowering Local Communities:
We must acknowledge and emphasise the critical role of local communities, especially our Indigenous and vulnerable groups, in the blue economy.
Often when we talk about “empowering” our communities, the first assumptionis that Traditional Knowledge holders are lower in “understanding” compared tomodern scientific approaches.
That must change, if we are truly being collaborative about doing things “for their good”.
Many times, modern science is only just catching up to what many of ourancestors already knew, particularly in relation to conservation of the naturalenvironment, and reading the signs of changes in the natural environment.
Collaboration is 2-way and never 1-way.
Therefore during the course of your deliberations, if you are to collaborate ondiversifying the blue economy, opportunities
such as sustainable fishing and ecotourism, can help create resilient economicpathways that contribute towards a better quality of life.
The need for action, participation, and partnership:
Ladies and gentlemen, in closing, the Coalition Government under the ableleadership of the Prime Minister remains committed to advancing a holistic andsustainable approach to ocean governance and the development of the blue economy.
I thank the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for the invitation toofficially open this workshop, and I encourage you all to actively engage in thediscussions and share your valuable experiences.
I wish you all a successful two days of networking and collaborative dialogue.
Vinaka Vaka Levu, Dhanyevadh and thank you very much.