Held during the 16th Annual Session of Global Forum on Human Settlements & Sustainable Cities (GFHS 2021); Online Event
The 16th Annual Session of Global Forum on Human Settlements & Sustainable Cities (GFHS 2021) was organised again in virtual format, with the theme “Accelerate Green Transformation and Innovation towards Healthy, Resilient and Carbon-neutral Cities” between the 27th and 29th October. As part of this event, the IOI moderated a Thematic Session 2B: “A Sustainable Blue Economy to Support the Green Transformation of Cities” where academic and industry leading speakers developed and emphasised the linkages between the theme of the forum, the Blue Economy and Ocean Health. The Forum was moderated by Antonella Vassallo, and featured the input of the distinguished speakers above.
The key opening statement was delivered by Awni Behnam, Honorary President, IOI and expert speakers presented different facets of the Blue Economy for the consideration of the audience. Speakers’ presentations broached the following topics: Powering Green Cities with Renewable Energy from the Ocean (R Farrugia); Trade in Ocean-Based Goods and Services: Classification, Trends and Market Access (D Vivas Eugui); Maritime Transport and Ports: Adapting to and Mitigating the Climate Challenge (R Asariotis); Fish in the City: Small-Scale Fisheries Contribution to Climate-Friendly Food and Sustainable Cities (R Chuenpagdee); Marine Genetic Resources: Intellectual Property, Sustainable Use, Access and Benefit Sharing (S T Bhatti).