Dhaka: Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque on Saturday said time has come for Bangladesh to formulate an ocean policy.

He said such policy will ensure proper co-ordination among all concerned agencies including private sectors, civil society and also guide Bangladesh for establishing regional collaboration on ocean affairs, reports the UNB.

The Foreign Secretary made the remark while delivering his statement as the chief guest at the ‘Blue Economy National Co-ordination’ workshop held at a city hotel.

The workshop organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh was attended by as many as 100 high government officials and prominent experts on ocean affairs from different corners of Bangladesh including the Shipping Secretary Md Abdus Samad, Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral Md Khurshed Alam and Charge d’ Affairs of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh Mario Ronconi among others. 

The Foreign Secretary defined the ocean as the new frontier of Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy. 

He mentioned that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea -1982 which is the constitution of the law of the sea has been so far playing a key role to ensure ocean governance across the globe and following that the SDG-14 has emerged as a new tool for further ensuring ocean governance and sustainable use of ocean resources.

Khurshed Alam emphasized on expansion of blue economy activities in Bangladesh. 

He informed that the workshop is being held in continuation of the first international workshop on blue economy of September 2014 and the second international dialogue on blue economy of November 2017. 

He aspired that the outcome of the co-ordination workshop would play a vital role in determining the level of progress Bangladesh has achieved in terms of all the 26 potential blue economy sectors previously identified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mario Ronconi informed the presence that the European Union will continue to work for the development of the particular areas where there are still scope for further development and innovation. He emphasized on utilization of ocean resources ensuring its sustainable use and preservation. 

He also ensured that the EU will offer more scholarships on Masters and PhD Programs for the students/experts of this region.

The other experts of the workshop opined to categorize the potential areas where immediate action is required and the other areas where further research or innovation is required. 

Among the 26 sectors, fisheries development, mariculture, blue biotechnology, shipping and ports, marine spatial planning, cruise shipping etc. have been identified as potential sectors for Blue Economy development in Bangladesh.

All the experts emphasized on formulating a national framework for Blue Economy and stressed on establishing a proper co-ordination mechanism among all the stakeholders.