On the 1st of December, the 2020 Edition of the Blue Eco Forum was held on-line, co-organized by eco-union and IesMed . This year’s edition was focused on the Blue Solidarity Economy (BSE), a new concept and field of action that merges the opportunities of the Sustainable Blue Economy with the benefits of the Social and Solidarity Economy. Based on the learning’s from FEBSCat, a field initiative launched in Catalonia, relevant policies, strategies and a road map for mainstreaming the Blue Solidarity Economy in the Mediterranean were discussed.
More than 180 participants registered to the event and almost 30 speakers joined the discussion from different sectors and diverse countries across the Mediterranean. Some shared their hands-on experience in the field implementing new initiatives to tackle long-lasting challenges, while others offered a broad perspective on what has been done at the policy level. Together, participants reflected on the major environmental, economic and social challenges of the Mediterranean, discussing the existing policies and imagining new solutions to move towards a more prosperous region.
Through the on-going discussion, the Blue Solidarity Economy showed the potential to become a major driver for a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous development, putting people and nature at the centre of our communities. Proper action is indeed needed and all stakeholders public and private, local and regional need to be involved to ensure the mainstreaming of the Blue Solidarity Economy. In these times of strong uncertainty and continuous change, stakeholders need to move from rhetoric to action, working together to ensure an inclusive, green and people-based economy and society.
The Forum was organised around five different sessions each of them focusing on a certain interest topic: on the welcoming session the tone for the event discussions was set, stressing the need to work together towards a more sustainable Mediterranean through the development of the Blue Solidarity Economy. The second session was focused on the opportunities, challenges and synergies that it offers in Catalunya, Europe and the Mediterranean, delivering the Agenda 2030 through Sustainable Recovery, Resilience and Reconstruction Plans in (post) covid-19 world. The third session focused on the specific field initiatives that are currently being implemented in the Mediterranean on the Blue Solidarity Economy. The fourth session was devoted to coastal and maritime Tourism, one of the major sectors of this Economy, where we exchange good practices, opportunities, barriers and challenges related to the development of a more inclusive, social and ecological blue tourism around the Mediterranean region. Finally, the final session discussed the next steps towards a Blue Solidarity Economy for a Sustainable Mediterranean.
As a contribution to this socio-ecological transformation, a new report on Blue Solidarity Economy in Catalonia, Europe and the Mediterranean has been published, highlighting key opportunities at local, national and international level to advance the sustainability of our economic and social model.
You can revive the full event here. You can also register to the GEF newsletter and follow the Global Eco Forum tweeter to be kept updated on the final outcomes and latest news. We hope to see you soon at the Blue Eco Forum 2021!