FAO CONFERENCE 40TH SESSION - Side Event

Following a review of FAO’s participation in the recent UN Ocean Conference, this event will explore innovative approaches to Blue Growth aimed at harnessing ocean resources to promote economic growth for coastal communities. This event will share experiences about innovative ocean financing, including Blue Bonds, the Africa Package for Ocean Economies, block chain technology to fight IUU fishing, new uses for seaweed – such as food packaging, and fish skin for medical uses.

Keynote speakers:

Ivannia Quesada Villalobos, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of Costa Rica.

Hans Hoogeveen, Ambassador of Netherlands.

Welcome by Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, Climate and Natural Resources, FAO.

Innovation Panel moderated by Ambassador K.V. Bhagirath, Secretary-General, IORA.

Impact Investment – Justin Mundy, International Sustainability Unit.

Blue Bonds - Brian Charlette, Seychelles Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning.

Blue Economy Flagship – Jackie Alder for Edson Rurangwa Mpyisi, African Development Bank.

Cod skin for medical uses - Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson, Kerecis, Iceland.

Blockchain technology -used for traceability & IUU fight / case study in tuna supply chain - Vincent Bourdil, Food director, Bureau Veritas.

Project NEMO - Vincenzo Fersino, Principal Administrator, CIHEAM, Paris.

Justin Mundy, Director. The Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit.
Justin Mundy is the Director of The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit (I.S.U.), which acts as a high level broker to facilitate consensus on environmental and developmental issues. Before the I.S.U. he worked as an Adviser to the UK Government on Russia, Energy and Climate Change. Previously, he ran the World Bank’s forestry and biodiversity programmes in Russia and Central Asia. He is also the Chairman of SLM, an agricultural fund management company, was a Managing Director of Climate Change Capital, Senior Adviser to Deutsche Bank’s Global Markets Group, a Director of Aon Carbon and a founder of ForestRe.

Brian Charlette, Director General of the Debt Management Division, Seychelle Ministry of Finance.
Brian has been working in the finance and auditing field in Seychelles for 27 years. He is currently at the Seychelles Ministry of Finance where he now holds the post of Director-General of the Debt Management Division. He played an active role in the Seychelles Paris Club debt restructuring in 2009 and also in the Paris Club Debt swap for nature conservancy in 2015. He is currently one of the key architects for the financial structuring and issuance of the Seychelles blue bonds.

Jacqueline Alder, FISHCODE Manager, FAO Rome.
Jackie joined FAO in 2015 after leading the marine and freshwater programmes at the United Nations Environment Programme. At FAO she is leading the Blue Growth Initiative at FAO and the Africa Package is a key part of this Initiative. Fertram Sigurjonsson GudmundurFounder and CEO, Kerecis In 2010, Fertram founded Kerecis Limited, the company using Omega3-rich fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage. The Kerecis technology is based on Omega3-rich, intact, decellularized fish skin. Kerecis receives the fish skin from local food processors, which previously discarded the skin as having no value. The Kerecis suppliers are certified as sustainable fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council. All the electrical energy that Kerecis uses in its manufacturing is from renewable sources. The Kerecis manufacturing facilities are in the township of Isafjordur, Iceland. The corporate offices are in Reykjavik and Washington, D.C.

Vincent Bourdil, Vice-President Food Service Line with Bureau Veritas
Vincent heads the coordination and the development of all the services that Bureau Veritas is globally delivering to its clients of the food Industry, 'from farm to fork'. He is passionate about bringing innovative solutions that increases food safety, security and transparency to the supply chain. He believes that the blockchain technology is a great technology answer to the challenge that the oceans face with IUU fighting.

Vincenzo Fersino, Principal Administrator, CIHEAM, Paris.
Project Nemo funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation connects Mediterranean coastal communities the North-South and South-South dialogue to ensure regional stability of coastal and marine areas through supporting their socioeconomic development. The project includes countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco.