Photo credits: Fakhrizal Setiawan

NUSA DUA, 14 November 2022 - The Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, together with eight United Nations agencies, including UNIDO and its international development partners, launched the National Blue Agenda Actions Partnership (NBAAP) on the margins of the 17th G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali. This new partnership aims to support the Government of Indonesia in accelerating progress toward achieving the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) on the blue agenda.  This initiative will help drive achievement toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

In the opening remarks of the launch of NBAAP, Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, stated that building a sustainable blue economy is very important for Indonesia because it balances economic development and conserves marine biodiversity. He noted, “The launch of this partnership provides an opportunity for Indonesia to unveil concrete actions and collaboration within the maritime sector to bring changes towards a better social, economic, and environmental development.”

The UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, recalled the plight of the oceans discussed at the June 2022 UN Oceans Conference in Lisbon and will again be the focus at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022.  It is anticipated that countries will make further commitments toward sustainable ocean management at the Conference in Montreal. The NBAAP showcases how the world's largest archipelagic nation has a long-term and balanced approach to maritime development. “The entire world is watching, and together we can make a difference!" he declared.

The NBAAP consists of four pillars namely, (1) Blue Health, which focuses on the conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, and marine and coastal spatial planning; (2) Blue Food, focusing on food security, sustainable marine, and aquaculture production and supply chain; (3) Blue Innovation, focusing on science and technology, digital transformation, human development, and employment); and (4) Blue Finance, focusing on creative finance, payment for ecosystem services, blue bonds, blue Sukuk and incubating start-ups.

UNIDO Indonesia is the Co-chair of NBAAP together with UNDP and the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment. In the lead-up to the launch, UNIDO co-organized a National Workshop on Blue Agenda in September and the National Blue Food Seminar in November in Jakarta.

The NBAAP draws on UNIDO’s Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP) SMART-Fish expertise and the financial support of the Government of Switzerland (SECO) which has been actively supporting Indonesia’s blue economy. UNIDO’s technical assistance has supported three pillars of the Blue Agenda, namely Blue Food, Blue health, and Blue Innovation in the fishing sector.  UNIDO's expertise is in pole and line tuna, shrimp, seaweed, pangasius, catfish, and milkfish value chains.

To date, more than 23,900 fish farmers, government officers and private sector representatives (43% of which were women) have benefited from the SMART-Fish and GQSP Indonesia capacity buildings. Around 3,000 SMEs, from fish farmers, traders, and processors across the country have improved their productivity, sustainability, and capacity to comply with quality standards and buyers' requirements.

For more information on SMART-Fish and GQSP Indonesia, click here