Staff Reporter: Bangladesh is investing heavily in building the country’s efficient use of marine resources and scientific management capabilities so that the goal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Vision-2041 can be achieved. Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rabab Fatima has said that the blue economy has emerged as one of the most important development sectors in Bangladesh after the peaceful settlement of maritime boundaries with neighboring Myanmar and India. We need to reap the full benefits of the potential of the blue economy on Tuesday, according to a draft action plan on scientific research on marine resources, especially outside the national maritime boundaries and in equitable areas under the control of international seabed authorities. She was speaking at a high-level virtual meeting. This action plan has been formulated to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and to advance the United Nations Decade of Oceanography.
The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh also reiterated Bangladesh’s keen interest in conducting joint research in the deep sea area with other stakeholders including the International Seabed Authority.
Welcoming the various initiatives already undertaken by the International Seabed Authority with a view to advancing deep seabed research, Ambassador Fatima stressed on the need for capacity building and technical assistance to the developing countries, ensuring inclusivity so that no one is left behind, multi-stakeholder strategic alliances and partnerships at all levels, gender parity, adequate, predictable and innovative financing and above all protection of the integrity of the marine environment and its biodiversity while conducting marine scientific research in the deep sea.
The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Michael W. Lodge, the Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority. Among other high-level dignitaries, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and a number of Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives attended the meeting. It may be mentioned that Bangladesh has recently been elected as the president of the Council of the International Seabed Authority.
BP/SM
