Ambassador Garcia-Albano Highlights The Role Of Partnerships For The Development of the Blue Economy in the Philippines
Ambassador Mylene Garcia-Albano addresses the Nikkei Blue Ocean Forum.
“Because we are an archipelago, the worth of the sea to us is incalculable. So the destruction of the marine ecosystem, brought about by overfishing, marine plastic pollution, giant clam harvesting, dredging and reclamations, and IUUF, are all felt as a creeping loss of an essential part of our collective identity.
I recall that Part XII of UNCLOS explicitly lays out on States the obligation of protection and preservation of the marine environment, echoed in the landmark Arbitral Award of 2016 with regard to the South China Sea.
For essential endeavors related to our blue economy, we look for partnerships with nations committed to combat the impact of climate change, illegal fishing, marine litter, support the resilience of fisheries and aquaculture, and together address our many other challenges.” (Remarks at the Nikkei Blue Ocean Forum, 11 September 2023)
Speaking at the Keynote session of the Nikkei Blue Ocean forum on 11 September 2023, Ambassador Mylene Garcia-Albano said that the Philippines aspires to develop its blue economy as a pillar of sustainable growth, to help the country achieve upper middle income status and higher per capita GDP for its coastal communities. She highlighted the exemplary partnership with Japan, in industry, technology development, capacity-building, and maritime domain awareness. She encouraged international partners to play their full role, especially in providing expertise, industry leadership, and international engagement across all sectors, to promote a rules-bases maritime order and open up new horizons of economic growth.
She acknowledged the role of the Nikkei Blue Ocean Forum, which Nikkei organized in cooperation with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, to provide in depth lessons in effective conservation and governance, showcase best practice and science-based solutions, using the principles of inclusivity, equity, and due regard.
From left to right: Moderator and Sasakawa Peace Foundation Ocean Policy Research Institute Fellow KOBAYASHI Masanori, SPF President SUNAMI Atsushi, Hon. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Ambassador Garcia-Albano, Indonesian Embassy DCM and Minister John Tjahjanto Boestami
Video messages were sent by Philippine Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Mr. Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia, while DENR Assistant Secretary Marcial Amaro, and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries joined by video conference. Present at the keynote session with Ambassador Garcia-Albano were Hon. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, former Minister of the Environment, SUNAMI Atsushi, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and the Indonesian Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission John Boestami.
Ambassador Garcia-Albano exchanges greetings with Hon. Koizumi
The Philippines celebrates September as Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (ManaMO).
