Proceedings of the workshop on From Potential to Reality: Business Leadership for a Blue Economy in the Seas of East Asia (EASC2018 Session 6 Workshop 5)

PUBLICATION DATE:

Friday, November 30, 2018

PUBLICATION TYPE:

Meeting Documents

STATUS:

Only Available Online

DESCRIPTION:

Strong collaboration between government and business will be critical for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 14 Life below water. Along with safeguarding the health of coastal ecosystems and communities, achieving the SDGs may open pathways for new opportunities for companies while supporting the health of coastal ecosystems and communities. The potential of effective public-private partnership for coastal and ocean management has been discussed for some time, but the reality of forging concrete, value-added partnerships has, in many cases, remained elusive. Companies can struggle to move beyond mere compliance or approaches that are disconnected from their core business, while public institutions and local governments may wonder how to best engage with the private sector in ways that achieve sustainable development goals while adding value that incentivizes companies to partner.

Organizations like PEMSEA, World Ocean Council, Philippine Business for Environment and IUCN can play a bridging role, supporting the achievement of sustainable development objectives while helping companies to address their challenges related to coasts and oceans.

This session examined the role of business and its needs and expectations for collaborative coastal and ocean management, along with the role of development partners in helping companies to identify and develop practical opportunities supporting the SDGs, blue economy development and local communities. Building on insights from research for a Sustainable Business Roadmap for oceans for the region, participants explored approaches to private sector partnership for blue economy development.