Philippines Calls for a “Blue New Normal” as the Path to Recovery

The Philippines delivers its intervention during the ASEAN Workshop on the Blue Economy. (DFA-ASEAN photo)

PASAY CITY 29 June 2021 – The Philippines joined the Association on Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Workshop on the Blue Economy on 22 June 2021, where it welcomed discussions on the region’s own definition of the Blue Economy, and emphasized the need to consider a “blue new normal” as the path to pandemic recovery.

“With the general acceptance of the development paradigm that economic growth goes hand in hand with sustainable development, and with technological advancements allowing us to harness maritime resources sustainably and more efficiently, the full potentials of our coastal and marine resources to meet our sustainable development goals, particularly SDG 14 on life below sea, is given a sharper focus,” said Assistant Secretary and ASEAN-Philippines Director General Junever Mahilum-West in her intervention.  

The Philippines also called on its fellow members in ASEAN to consider rebuilding and strengthening the region’s fisheries and seafaring industries and ancillary industries, to make an effort to conserve the marine environment from debris and pollution for future generations, and to create a mechanism for a regional and global exchange of experiences, best practices and innovative approaches on sustainable utilization of the ocean’s resources.

The ASEAN Workshop on the Blue Economy brought together experts from the United Nations specialized agencies and subsidiary bodies such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), as well as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to present their views on how ASEAN could approach the Blue Economy. The workshop also allowed all ASEAN Member States to enunciate primary considerations in developing a collective understanding and policy on the Blue Economy. END