The Blue Economy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: new challenges, recovery measures and resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetime and estimates show that it may generate a decline of world trade by a third this year alone. The Blue Economy accounts for about 3.5 to 7% of global GDP with sectors such as coastal and maritime tourism, fisheries and seafood production, maritime transport and logistics being heavily affected. UNCTAD as estimated that global trade, including blue economic sectors, may fall be a record of 27 percent in 2020 because of the pandemic. Given the unprecedented nature of threats and the disruptions caused by COVID-19, countries are implementing policy responses and trade measures with different philosophies, time frames, scales and levels. This online conference seeks to provide an outlook on the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore opportunities and prospects for recovery and resilience in coastal and island developing countries. It is also an opportunity to identify action to adjust the research, technical cooperation and capacity building trade-related response to the pandemic. More information

Registration and log-in details: Please register in advance for the World Oceans Day 2020 - Online Conference webinar at: https://unitar.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EM3CYFthQiOYjzttmHP-nw

For an easy reference of all participants, please register for the Zoom webinar using your name, surname, organization and country where you are joining from. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 

Date and time : 4 June 2020 ; 3-5 p.m.(CET) online 

Co-organized with: UNCTAD, FAO, UNITAR, and IOI

Language: English

Contact details: 

• UNCTAD: David Vivas Eugui; Ivana Padierna      
• FAO : Marcio Castro de Souza 
• UNITAR : Emily fraser
• IOI : Antonella Vassallo