Accra: The United Nations Global Compact Network Ghana is set to launch the United Nations Global Compact Ocean Centres-Ghana in Accra. This significant event will take place under the esteemed patronage of the United Nations Global Compact and the Lloyd's Register Foundation.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah, the Country Lead for the Ocean Centres in Ghana, revealed that the launch is scheduled for the end of July. This follows the international unveiling of the United Nations Global Compact Ocean Centres at the recently concluded Third United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France. Ghana has been chosen as one of the seven countries from the Global South to lead in the establishment of these Ocean Centres.
The selected countries from the Global South include Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Philippines. Dr. Mbiah emphasized that the Ocean Centres will encourage partnership and collaboration between the public and private sectors through workshops and multi-stakeholder engagement, with safety as a central theme of sustainability.
He noted that this initiative is anticipated to lead to the creation of locally inspired policies and standards, advancing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goal 14. Initially, the Ocean Centres will concentrate on four thematic areas within the blue economy: Ports and Shipping, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Blue Finance and Investment, and Offshore Renewable Energy.
Dr. Mbiah urged stakeholders to participate in the multi-stakeholder engagement to promote locally driven solutions that support an inclusive blue economy, which considers the well-being of people, the planet, and prosperity.
