Our Ocean side event April 2024
Food security
The role of sustainable aquatic blue foods in the green transition
– Our Ocean 2024 Side Event
The Global Action Network is pleased to co-host EBCD’s side event at Our Ocean 2024 on Food security: The role of sustainable aquatic blue foods in the green transition.
While one of the main services of the oceans is to provide food, achieving food security is also one of the fundamental pillars of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), so it is important to ensure that our planet’s growing population has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, to meet its dietary needs. At the same time, as underlined that COP28 in Dubai, a holistic perspective is needed to ensure that food systems are sustainable, providing food security and nutritious food within planetary boundaries. This event will therefore address the role of healthy oceans, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to provide healthy nutritious food, thus contributing to the health of both people and planet, as well as delivering on the green transition.
As there is an enormous potential offered by sustainable blue foods, it is unfortunately rather overlooked in the discourse. Food from the oceans can provide multiple benefits, given its low carbon footprint, high protein- and essential nutrients’ value. Since we would have to ensure food security for almost 10 billion people in 2050, aquatic / blue foods are expected to contribute a bigger portion to future food baskets. As a result, it is imperative to boost our oceans’ long-term health and sustainability, while at the same promoting healthy and sustainable diets across the globe. Cooperation among governments, scientific institutions, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector, alongside more collaboration across sectors as well as across different regions, can play a key role towards this vision.
All in all, healthy oceans, sustainable fisheries and responsible aquaculture are vital for our future livelihoods, climate and environmental sustainability. Therefore this event will share knowledge and best practices on sustainable aquatic blue foods, focusing on ensuring sufficient, safe and healthy foods with low carbon footprint, for our future.
