With the world shifting its focus on increased sustainability and green practices, the concept of Blue Economy has thrived in the last three decades. UNCTAD defines Ocean Economy as “a vehicle toward a more sustainable and inclusive economic path on the marine and coastal environment” whereas the World Bank defines Blue Economy as the “sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit economies, livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health”. Blue Economy is represented by three interconnected sustainability pillars: Economics, Social and Environment. It strives to balance economic growth, social equity and environmental conservation, thus ensuring long term sustainability. However, in pursuit of greater economic gains, the ocean resources have been over exploited and unhealthy practices have impacted climate and marine ecosystems.
In the same context, United Nations set the basis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. In 2015, the United Nations released the influential document entitled ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development’, in which 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with 169 targets were announced. The goals aims to address a broad range of sustainable development issues such as poverty, hunger, health and well-being, and education to produce a set of universal tasks to meet the urgent developmental challenges by 2030. The significance of the SDGs is paramount because for the first time, a comprehensive agenda was agreed upon globally that could stimulate actions towards economic, environmental and social sustainability. The importance of Blue Economy was further reinforced with the incorporation of UN SDGs 14 with focus on Life Below Water, which aims to promote sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources.
International shipping greatly benefits the world by moving food, commodities, raw materials, energy and consumer goods at a low cost around the globe. By supporting world trade and facilitating global economy, maritime industry is associated with each SDG. Primarily, maritime industry may make a fundamental contribution to SDG 14, a dedicated goal to conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. However, the responsibility of maritime industry goes far beyond SDG 14 such as SDG 1- End poverty in all its forms everywhere and SDG 2- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture as improved access to basic materials, goods and products is expected to lift millions of people out of poverty and, thereby, contribute to achieving SDGs 1 and 2. Responsibility of the maritime sector extends to reducing port-related pollutions in coastal regions, which contributes to the health and well-being of coastal residents (SDG 3) as well as contribution to reduction of GHG emissions for climate action under SDG 13; ensuring decent working conditions of seafarers, which is an important component of SDG 8; and sustainable development of cities and communities (SDG 11) that depends on secure global logistics systems.
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) takes the responsibility of contributing to SDGs very seriously. By connecting producers, manufacturers and consumers, it provides a way for IMO Member States to enhance trade with one another. With more than 60 years of expertise and experience, IMO is already contributing to sustainable development. Through its regime of more than 50 treaties covering a multitude of aspects of ships and shipping, IMO provides that global, uniform system for industry regulation. IMO assists developing countries in building effective institutions to ensure the safe, secure and environment-friendly flow of maritime trade and commerce, thus contributing to SDG 16-Provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. IMO has always supported gender equality and the empowerment of women through targeted training opportunities for women in the maritime sector contributing to SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. To improve social protection for seafarers and their families, IMO cooperates with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the form of Joint IMO/ILO Ad Hoc Working Groups to address various issues including health services and social security protection for seafarers.
To this end, the inherent development of maritime industry is highly relevant to the implementation of the UN’s 2030 agenda and the associated SDGs. A sustainable maritime industry contributes directly to achieving the SDGs, whereas the SDGs act as the universal framework that effectively guides the sustainable development of the maritime industry, so the link is bidirectional and both agendas complement each other.
Realisation of Blue Economy and SDGs in Pakistan has been hindered by the lack of effective policies’ implementation, financial and technical challenges and lack of trained skill force. To unlock the full potential of the Blue Economy, Pakistan needs to adopt sustainable policies, practices, governance frameworks, and investment in these sectors. This can help promote economic growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods while preserving the marine environment & ecosystem for the future generations.
In this context, the National Institute of Maritime Affairs in collaboration with Bahria University, is conducting the 4th International Maritime Symposium (IMS-24). The symposium is set to take place on October 9, 2024, at the Ibn-e-Khaldun Auditorium in Bahria University. This year’s theme, “Realisation of Blue Economy through the Prism of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Options for Developing Countries”, seeks to examine the critical intersection of maritime security and sustainable development.
IMS-24 will serve as a vital platform for key stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions on the challenges and opportunities faced by developing nations in aligning their maritime strategies with the SDGs. The Symposium will place a strong emphasis on Pakistan’s maritime sector, addressing the impacts of climate change and initiatives aimed at fostering a sustainable Blue Economy. The Symposium will prominently feature an exclusive session on the implementation of the Hong Kong Convention (HKC 2009) and the transition to Green Ship Recycling in Pakistan, emphasizing sustainable practices vital for preventing environmental degradation and enhancing occupational health and safety. IMS 24 will also unveil six Research Reports produced by NIMA, designed to advance maritime sustainability. IMS-24 aims to bring together maritime professionals, academia, practitioner, policy makers and stakeholders to deliberate & discuss various options for Pakistan. The recommendations of the symposium will be shared as a policy level input to relevant quarters.
The author is a researcher at National Institute of Maritime Affairs, Islamabad and can be reached at fasiha.nima@bahria.edu.pk
