Environment Minister Wallace Cosgrow, the Chair of the SeyCCAT Board, was invited to speak at a high-level dialogue with the overarching theme of “fostering partnerships with small island developing states towards 2020 Our Ocean Conference” on the margins of the 6th Our Ocean conference, which took place on the 23rd October in Oslo, Norway.
Victoria, October 25 – Chair of SeyCCAT’s Board, Minister Wallace Cosgrow, was invited to the high level dialogue on fostering partnerships with SIDS towards the 2020 Our Ocean Conference to discuss the Seychelles’ experience of the first sovereign blue bond and its objective of supporting sustainable marine and fisheries projects. He emphasised the importance of blended finance partnerships and innovative business models as solutions to bridge the financing gap for marine conservation. SeyCCAT recently collaborated on a costing for the protection of approximately, 400, 000 km2 of EEZ. Significant emphasis was placed on the importance of partnerships and support from the international community to ensure the effective management and monitoring of marine protection areas.
This event was hosted by UN-OHRLLS together with the Government of Palau, the Government of Denmark, Parley for the Oceans and the World Ocean Council. The event provided a platform to consult with stakeholders on the expectations of the SIDS-Global Business Network (SIDS-GBN) Forum to champion new partnerships for SIDS during the 2020 Our Ocean Conference in Palau. It also provided recommendations on thematic focus of ocean partnerships to address new and emerging challenges SIDS face in the area of ocean sustainable development.
Other knowledge tools were released on the occasion of the Our Ocean Conference where SeyCCAT featured. They include:
Financing ocean protection by UNDP PA Finance Project
The Blue World Perspective by Katapult Ocean