?Xu Jinghu, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African affairs, delivers a speech at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 26, 2018. China will rally behind global efforts to promote growth of blue economy in line with sustainable development agenda, said Xu Jinghu on Monday. (Xinhua/Yang Zhen)
NAIROBI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural blue economy conference kicked off in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday, calling for prioritizing sustainable management of water resources to boost food security, climate mitigation, industrial growth and employment creation.
More than 1,700 delegates from 183 countries, including heads of state and government, ministers, industry executives, representatives of multilateral agencies, scientists and green campaigners, are attending the first ever blue economy summit to be held in Africa.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in his address said that a vibrant blue economy is key to promoting inclusive growth, climate resilience, cross border trade and advanced manufacturing.
"The sustainable harnessing of maritime resources is key for job creation, poverty eradication and economic growth," said Kenyatta, adding that Kenya aims to become a blue economy powerhouse through promoting investments in aquaculture and maritime transport.
Dozens of heads of state and government drawn mainly from Africa are attending the 3-day blue economy summit that seeks to strengthen the link between maritime resources and sustainable development.
The Nairobi conference will discuss challenges hampering sustainable utilization of marine and fresh water resources like pollution, climate change, piracy and illegal fishing and explore durable solutions.
Seychelles President Danny Faure said that blue economy is at the heart of global efforts to achieve shared prosperity, peace and security.
"This conference will showcase the enormous opportunities in the blue economy that we can seize upon to achieve sustainable development," Faure said.
Kenya is co-hosting the inaugural blue economy conference with Canada and Japan amid concerted efforts to protect the planet's water resources to achieve the green agenda.
Pavan Sukhdev, president of the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) International, said that action on plastics and other non-bio degradable waste choking the oceans should be intensified to unlock their potential.
"We have an opportunity to grow fisheries sector by ensuring plastic waste is removed from our oceans," Sukhdev remarked, adding that placing a monetary value to marine and inland fresh water resources is key to enhancing their conservation.
