The latest news and events from the Blue Charter
08 June 2020
The Commonwealth Secretary-General is urging governments to ensure their countries’ post-COVID economic recoveries are environmentally sustainable and safe for the ocean. Forty-seven of the Commonwealth’s 54 member countries have a coastline while 25 are either small island developing states or ‘big ocean states’ relying heavily on the ocean for food and income. Sustainable blue and green economies On World…
01 June 2020
Event Date: 8 June 2020 The Commonwealth is organising an interactive virtual event on 8 June to mark World Oceans Day. The event will highlight the work of three Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups on: Ocean and climate change Coral reef protection and restoration Mangrove ecosystems and livelihoods Register for the event Commonwealth Blue Charter…
The Commonwealth Secretariat is joining forces with Vulcan Inc. to help member countries manage their ocean spaces via cutting-edge mapping technology. Commonwealth countries are responsible for more than a third of the world’s coastal ocean, and 45 per cent of its coral reefs. Harnessing satellite technology The new tool will use satellite technology to create country-specific data and generate high-resolution images to help map, manage…
11 May 2020
Commonwealth countries committed to saving the ocean will benefit from new knowledge gained from the Seychelles, which has just designated almost a third of its ocean as marine protected areas (MPAs). The island nation recently set aside 30 per cent of its marine territory, or about 410,000 square kilometres, to be legally protected from activities…
21 April 2020
Commonwealth countries have outlined a joint plan to boost economic growth and food security through the sustainable farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants. Aquaculture generates more than half of the seafood people eat across the world, and sustains some 26 million jobs. This translates to about 80 million tonnes of fish produced globally per…
25 February 2020
On 4 March 2020, the Commonwealth and the Nekton Foundation will launch ‘First Descent: Midnight Zone’, a mission to explore and protect the Indian Ocean – the world’s least explored and most at risk ocean. First Descent First Descent is a ground-breaking scientific research mission, using the world’s most advanced deep diving submersible. The goal…
11 February 2020
Countries driving the Commonwealth Blue Charter project will meet in Cyprus from 21 to 24 March 2020. They will reflect on what they’ve achieved over the past year, and agree on a strategy for the coming year. The Commonwealth Blue Charter is a landmark agreement by leaders to cooperate on ocean action. Since launching in 2018, 10 action groups led…
12 December 2019
The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has stepped forward to lead an action group on sustainable coastal fisheries, as part of the Commonwealth Blue Charter. The action group will rally countries together to share knowledge and best practices, align actions on sustainable fisheries and mobilise funding to support their joint initiatives. Making the announcement at…
The Commonwealth Blue Charter – Shared Values, Shared Ocean. A Commonwealth commitment to work together to protect and manage our ocean.
