Philippines Advocates for Sustainability in Realizing Benefits of the Blue Economy

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines Evangelina A. Bernas, delivers remarks during the Asia-Pacific Breakout Session of the Expert Group Meeting on UNIDO’s Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda on 03 December 2024 in Vienna, Austria.

VIENNA 05 December 2024 – The Philippines, as Chair of the Asia Pacific Group, highlighted the need for sustainability and climate action on oceans during the Asia-Pacific Breakout Session of the Expert Group Meeting on UNIDO’s Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda on 03 December 2024.

In her remarks, Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evangelina A. Bernas discussed the importance of the blue economy in the Asia Pacific region’s economic growth, including its contribution to the Philippine economy which accounted for 3.9% of the country’s GDP in 2022, and noted the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework which aims to develop an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable blue economy across the ASEAN region.  

Ambassador Bernas, however, stressed that the benefits of the blue economy cannot be fully realized without addressing sustainability and climate challenges, noting the decline of fisheries, degradation of marine ecosystems, and the impacts of climate change on ocean health. She emphasized that global efforts could not be incremental, or “the oceans and the economies reliant on them will collapse with catastrophic effects on the majority of the world’s population.”  END

For more information, visit https://www.viennape.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.philippine-embassy.at or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustria, or  https://www.instagram.com/phinaustria/.