Hauwa Ali
The second edition of the high-level conference on the Blue Belt Initiative (BBI), a platform for South-South cooperation for fisheries and aquaculture as an essential component of the blue economy was held in Agadir, Morocco.
The event held recently, brought together more than 270 participants, representing 32 countries including 24 delegations led by ministers from Africa, Europe and the Middle East and international organizations.
Since its inception at COP22, this initiative, which aims to strengthen the capacity of participating countries for sustainable management of their fisheries and aquaculture resources, has been encouraged and supported by many countries and organizations to promote cooperation, sharing and exchange of experiences between countries.
It is a collaborative platform to act together and put into practice innovative solutions for the adaptation of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors to climate change and for the resilience of oceans and climate.
Organized on the sidelines of the International Halieutis Fair, The program was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fishing, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki.
In his opening remarks, Sadiki stressed the important role of fisheries and aquaculture products in food security, noting that the BBI is an appropriate cooperation instrument to implement actions to achieve food security, especially in the context of the fight against climate change and the ocean emergency.
He added that the BBI is an important platform for collaboration and support to national, regional and continental blue and marine strategies. It also helps coastal States to transform their fisheries activities towards sustainable exploitation modes.
This year’s Conference provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress made since the first Conference in 2019, particularly in terms of cooperation agreements and projects implemented in member countries.
Participants also discussed challenges and directions to strengthen BBI in the coming years. They emphasized the need for effective governance and harmonization of actions.
On the sidelines of this event, cooperation agreements were signed by Morocco with the Republic of Liberia, the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to support these countries in the scientific and technical field through oceanographic exploration campaigns by the Moroccan scientific boat. It is expected to continue to expand this cooperation to other member countries of the initiative