The concept of Blue Economy refers to all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts. It also implies that human activities must be managed in a way that ensures the health of the oceans and safeguards economic productivity, so that the potential they offer can be realised and sustained over time.
An important milestone for advancing Blue Economy in the Mediterranean was the adoption on 2015 of the “Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Declaration on BE”. The document signed by 42 countries aimed at strengthening the potential of the blue economy in the Mediterranean region through maritime governance capable to create the conditions for jobs, innovation and knowledge-based business opportunities in key maritime sectors.
In this context, the UfM Forum on Blue Economy was established as a “framework of dialogue on sustainable blue economy and cross-sectorial coordination of maritime policies” and included the creation of The Mediterranean Blue Economy Stakeholder Platform (MedBESP).
The MedBESP is a regional networking platform for sharing knowledge and for supporting the development of the blue economy. Funded by the EU and managed by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) since April 2017, it is as a one-stop shop/online web portal allowing for the consolidation and sharing of general, technical and sectoral information related to marine and maritime affairs in the Mediterranean. It compiles the most relevant maritime and marine projects, programs, initiatives and knowledge resources across the Mediterranean and beyond.
One of its main aims is to establish a large Blue Economy Community in the Mediterranean basin, where users lay a key role to improve, disseminate and widen the impact of blue economy activities. Among others, the platform facilitates contacts between existing education networks, exchange information including pedagogic tools and serve as an interface for mobility programs.
Since October 2018, GlobalCAD, in consortium with the IT consulting firm ITACA, provides support to the UfM in the maintenance, content management and communication services for the Mediterranean Blue Economy Stakeholder Platform. The latest fruit of this collaboration is the revamping of the platform with a new user-friendly layout that eases navigation and search for information.
If you are an expert and are involved in an initiative, project or program in the blue economy sector, or you are simply interested in the subject, we invite you to visit the Mediterranean Blue Economy Stakeholder Platform to stay tuned on the latest news on the blue economy in the Mediterranean region
