The princely couple kicked off this Wednesday, May 27 at the Oceanographic Museum, three days dedicated to the governance and protection of the oceans.
With the preamble, the 17e Monaco Blue Initiative (1) (MBI) this Wednesday, international platform for dialogue between NGOs, leaders, scientists… laying the groundwork for the second Blue & Economy Finance Forum (BEFF), supposed to enter the operational phase of financing the blue economy (2) this Thursday and Friday at the Grimaldi Forum.
If the question of the ocean has taken pride of place in major international meetings, the global geopolitical context calls for consolidate progress des dernières décennies.
Don’t back down
“The ocean has come a long way on the international agenda. He went from the margins to the center. And today, faced with the headwinds of geopolitics, he is relegated to the background. The international order is more fractured than it has been in a generation. Trust in science is contested where, not so long ago, it was unquestioned. This is precisely why platforms such as MBI and BEFF are important.”alert Prince Albert IIhighlighting current market failures, with supporting figures.
“Markets, whatever their strengths, need rules. They work in the short term. They face questions that span decades, sometimes centuries. And environmental costs remain largely unaccounted for in our economic models, when they are not completely absent. Consider just one number: harmful fishing subsidies still cost the world some twenty-two billion dollars per year. »
From this postulate, the Prince urges state actors to establish clear framesconducive to blue investment and the potential growth that results from it, to mobilize investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, NGOs, public and private actors… towards the same direction.
Investing pays off
“Companies commit when the framework is clear and credible. The figures confirm it. Nearly 3,000 start-ups are now working on ocean innovation. More than ten billion dollars have been invested in disruptive technologies in a single decade. And the opportunity now extends to all of finance: venture capital and private equity, private debt and infrastructure, blue bonds. Investing in the Ocean is no longer just responsible. It’s profitable. The Ocean has become an asset class in its own right.”
Philanthropy, too, has its part to play in these economic, diplomatic and environmental issues. Princess Charlène and her eponymous foundation know something about this.
In June, “The crossing”, an endurance water bike race carried by the Princess, will cross the Pelagos sanctuary. An event in partnership with the Prince Albert II Foundation. “By connecting sport to ocean conservation, my Foundation aims, through the crossing which will take place in June, to inspire commitment, promote the protection of the Mediterranean and demonstrate that human achievement and environmental responsibility can advance together. The sea is both the setting for the sporting challenge and the environment that we seek to protect. Through endurance, discipline and collective effort, sport becomes a powerful vector of awareness and action.” it takes place on stage.
Building on progress
Despite global tensions, there are many reasons for satisfaction to remember and develop. “Innovation is accelerating, and with it the chance for remarkable advances. Shipping shows this clearly. The carbon neutrality objectives that theOrganisation Maritime Internationale a fixés pour 2050 have accelerated innovation like never before. Wind-assisted propulsion, alternative fuels, ship energy efficiency… The progress made in just a few years is immense, and the horizon is almost limitless »continues the Sovereign.
After the dialogue, it’s time for action with the BEFF. “Its first edition was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice. It brought together investors, entrepreneurs and public decision-makers around concrete projects. She moved from dialogue to action. This second edition, within its own framework, will do the same and will once again result in firm commitments reinforcing the work accomplished. »
This Thursday and Friday, the discussion will notably include the post-2025 agenda for the ocean, governance and financing of the ocean in a fragmented world, and the perspectives opened up by the High Seas Treaty, particularly for marine protected areas.
(1): organized by the Prince Albert II Foundation in collaboration with the Oceanographic Institute.
(2): the blue economy refers to all economic activities associated with marine resources and aquatic ecosystems.
