World Ocean Day declared by the United Nations is celebrated worldwide as an 'international day' on June 8 every year. The theme is of this year is- “Awaken New Depths: Catalyzing Action for our Ocean and Climate". Blue Economy, which has added a new dimension to the economic development of Bangladesh. Especially in 2012 and 2014, the establishment of Bangladesh's sovereign rights over 118 thousand 813 square kilometers of the Bay of Bengal through the settlement of maritime disputes with neighboring countries Myanmar and India has opened a new door of possibilities. The Government of Bangladesh is adopting and implementing a Centenary Master Plan titled 'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100' to ensure long-term water and food security, sustainable economic growth and environmental stability by addressing natural disasters, climate change impacts and other issues related to the delta. Source to Sea (S2S) Approach has been adopted in the Bangladesh Delta Plan, which extends from the Himalayan glaciers to the sea. Delta Plan 2100 covers a significant part of the Blue Economy. In view of this, the celebration of World Ocean Day for the first time in the country is in perfect harmony with the goals and strategies of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.

On the occasion of World Ocean Day, Bangladesh Planning Commission organized an international conference on 03 July, 2024 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center under the management of General Economics Department and in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Conference on World Ocean Day titled “Ocean Prosperity: Catalyzing Blue Economy in Bangladesh” took place on 3 July, 2024 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Honorable Speaker, Bangladesh National Parliament graced the inaugural session as Chief Guest. Major General Abdus Salam, rcds, psc (retd), MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Planning and Md. Shahiduzzaman Sarker, MP, Honorable Minister of State, Ministry of Planning were the Special Guests. Mr. Yingming Yang, Vice President, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Md. Mahbub Hossain, Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Division were present as the Guest of Honor. Dr. Md. Kawser Ahmed, Member (Secretary), General Economics Division (GED) chaired the session and Dr. Edimon Ginting, Country Director, Asian Development Bank (ADB) gave the Vote of Thanks.

After the inaugural session, the conference had one plenary session, six thematic sessions and one youth session where as the chief guests, Hon'ble Ministers of the Cabinet respectively Hon'ble Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon'ble Minister of Education and Economic Adviser to the Honorable Prime Minister and among the Ministers of State, Hon'ble Minister of State of Fisheries and Livestock, Hon'ble Minister of State of Power, Energy and Mineral Resource and Hon'ble Minister of State of Shipping participated.

About 1,500 representatives including the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary, SDG affairs coordinator, senior secretaries of relevant ministries/ divisions, high-ranking officials including secretaries, representatives of diplomatic missions and development partner organizations of various countries, teachers of various universities, private sector and mass media persons participated in the conference. A total of 13 delegates/international experts from 10 countries participated in the conference, including 02 online.

The main objective of the international conference was to strengthen efforts to develop a sustainable Blue Economy based activities in Bangladesh. One of its aims was to highlight the interconnection of terrestrial and oceanic ecosystem services with broader socio-economic goals, including poverty reduction, energy transition, adaptation and mitigation of climate change risks, and overall sustainable development by specifically identifying the intangible activities of the Blue Economy.

In addition, the purpose of the conference was to focus on the prospects and challenges of six specialized areas, formulation of necessary policies and strategies for economic development activities in potential areas, demonstration of best practices, improvement of policy dialogue, Expanding the field of international cooperation, mobilization of research and innovation promotion activities, awareness raising and empowerment of coastal communities and youth.

The conference attempted to identify priority areas for investment, policy reforms, capacity building, and institutional strengthening to support the blue economy. It conducted a plenary session on “Nature’s Value in a Changing World” and “Blue Economic Opportunities for food security, conservation and growth” just after the inaugural session.

After the lunch break, there were 06 parallel breakout sessions on- 1) Sustainable Blue Production; 2) Biodiversity and Marine Resources; 3) Coastal and Marine Ecosystems conservation and restoration; 4) Blue Economy infrastructure; 5) Blue Finance; and 6) Pollution and Ocean Health.

In the sessions- Dr. Sadananda Sateesh Chandra Shenoi, INCOIS, India; Mr. Martin Lemoine, Unit Head, Agribusiness Investment Team, Private Sector Operations, Asian Development Bank (ADB); Professor Chenhong Li, Shanghai Ocean University, China; Dr. Ramaiah Nagappa, Chief Scientist, National Institute of Oceanography, India; Professor Qi Xin, Ocean University of China (OUC), China; Professor Weidong Yu, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, China; Professor Suriyan Tunkijjianukij, Dean, Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Thailand; Professor Huynh Thanh Toi, Artemia Expert, College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Vietnam; Dr. Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Researcher, Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF), Japan; Professor Dr. Syuhaida Binti Ismail, Director of Research, Maritime Institute of Malaysia; Mr. Martino Pelli, Senior Economist, ERDI, Asian Development Bank (ADB); Mr. Jean Henry (Harrie) Laboyrie, Managing Director, Coastal, River and Port Expert, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila; Liu Lihua, Chief Engineer & Vice President, CCCC Second Harbor Consultants Co. Ltd. (CTESI), China; Professor Dr. Leïla Choukroune, International Law, Director of the Democratic Citizenship Inter-Faculty Research Theme, University of Portsmouth, UK; Dr. Dejun Dai, Deputy Director, Laboratory of Marine Science Numerical Modeling, FIO, China; Ms. Li Li, Director, International Cooperation Department, First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), China and through online Mr. John Virdin, Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation and Director, Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Asian Development Bank (ADB) ও Mr. James Baker, Sr. Circular Economy Specialist (Plastic Waste), Asian Development Bank (ADB) presented their papers.

Moreover, a ‘Youth Session’ was arranged to Engage and empower youth as agents of change through educational programs, leadership opportunities, and advocacy initiatives focused on ocean conservation and sustainable development. The youth representatives participating in this session expressed their sincere intention to involve themselves in the Blue Economy program and presented innovative ideas on employment, investment and startup.

This event has brought together global experts, policymakers, private sector and financing experts to explore the multifaceted aspects of the Blue Economy. The conference highlighted sustainable Blue Economy and conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems, innovative financing mechanisms. The Government has entrusted the General Economics Division with the responsibility of formulating policies, strategies, action plans and financing frameworks focused on Blue Economy. This conference is reflected as a part of fulfilling this responsibility. The discussions have explored the most significant challenges and concerns regarding Bangladesh’s blue economy, and informed a narrowly scoped, prioritized and actionable agenda of work over the coming years. Based on the opinions received from this conference, the concerned ministries/departments will implement the development projects through the Annual Development Program (ADP) and realize the elusive potential of the Blue Economy in building a developed, prosperous and smart Bangladesh by 2041.