United Nations High-level Political Forum 2020 Side Event: ‘The Role of Oceans as a Sustainable Resource That Can Contribute to the Global Energy Transition’

8 July, 12 PM to 1:30 PM (New York time)

Oceans, Energy, the Economy, and Our Future: A side event webinar during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July.

In cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations, Stakeholder Forum co-hosted a Zoom webinar side event on Wednesday 8 July during the 2020 United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

You can watch the full recording of the webinar on the Stakeholder Forum YouTube channel, and the four presentations can be found as one PDF file here: The Role of Oceans as a Sustainable Resource That Can Contribute to the Global Energy Transition Presentations (8 July 2020)

Follow-up questions can be sent to Charles Nouhan at [email protected]

Summary: Coastal communities of all kinds, in all regions of the world and particularly small island states, are looking for new ways to become resilient to climate change, and now to address the economic ravages of Covid-19.  The need to Build Back Better, greener, and more sustainably from the pandemic further emphasizes the need to transform the energy supply of small island developing states and coastal communities. This can be accomplished by multi-stakeholder partnerships in the spirit of SDG 17.

Chaired by Charles Nouhan, Stakeholder Forum Chairman, the event featured the Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Barbados, Hon. Kirk D. M. Humphrey, M.P., H.E. Ambassador Lois Michele Young, Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations and Chair of AOSIS, UN-OHRLLS Under-Secretary-General Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Ambassador Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Mr. Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe, Prof. Weili Cui of SUNY Maritime College, Misters Rik van Hemmen and Michael Raftery of Martin & Ottaway and SurfWEC LLC, Respondent Mr. Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and Closing remarks by H.E. Ambassador H. Elizabeth Thompson, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations.