Discussing CoP as social innovation in MSP at #UNOceanConference2022

Two weeks ago, Lisbon was buzzing with an ocean related themes as the UN Ocean Conference 2022 took place and luckily eMSP NBSR project was present and represented.

Impressive forces of UN Global Compact, IOC UNESCO and the Government of the Netherlands (incl. the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency) teamed up together for the Side event – Public-Private Cooperation to Foster Sustainable Ocean Management Globally (Agenda).

During the event discussions evolved around crucial thread of challenges that oceans and seas are encountering – climate change and consequent need of the transition to the sustainable blue economy in turn rooted in ecosystem-based approach (EBA).  Maritime Spatial Planning is already proving itself as powerful tool embracing EBA, cooperation incl across borders (of countries and land and sea interface) and even multi-use of areas. However, there is a plenty of room and a need for improvement especially when global scale of a Climate Change is considered, for example, strengthening and widening of cooperation is a way forward. This is also where eMSP NBSR project is exploring and experimenting at the moment first of all by utilizing Community of Practice (CoP) approach while bringing together different public and private stakeholders and secondly by allowing also experts from different sea basins (of North Sea and Baltic Sea) exchange the knowledge.

For more details and crispy takeaways please take a look on the impressions of Nico Buytendijk, side event co-organizer and eMSP NBSR project coordinator, and Erwin Coolen, one of moderators of the side event, the Rich North Sea, Dutch SDG14 Alliance ambassador.

P.S. 3rd International MSP Conference was announced to take place on 21-23 November 2022 in Barcelona more info to follow at :  https://www.mspglobal2030.org/

Prepared by Margarita Vološina (VASAB Secretariat) July, 2022