A two-day international workshop on the blue economy will begin today to discuss smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and employment opportunities in Bangladesh.
“We want to identify courses of action to develop a maritime policy and a strategy for Bangladesh. We need the help of foreign experts to do this,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune.
The government emphasises the preservation, protection and utilisation of ocean resources as Bangladesh exercises its right to explore marine resources in the Bay of Bengal, he said.
The settlement of a maritime boundary delimitation dispute with India and Myanmar has awarded Bangladesh a territorial sea covering 118,000 square kilometres and an exclusive economic zone extending out to 200 nautical miles.
The country was awarded undeniable sovereign rights over the sea bed extending as far as 354 nautical miles from the Chittagong coast on the Bay of Bengal, including both living and non-living resources.
“Bangladesh wants to establish links and build relations with countries and organisations working in the field of ocean research and resources,” Shahidul said.
Thirty-two experts, academicians and government officials from 20 countries are taking part in the international workshop. “We want to explore the resources with the help of international players,” he said.
Discussions at the workshop would be aimed at mapping out the work already done and identifying further projects that need to be undertaken to secure inclusive and balanced promotion, protection and conservation of marine resources, he said.
The Bay of Bengal will be Bangladesh’s “super highway” for boosting trade and investment, and ensuring security, he added.
The ocean offered business potential in areas including fisheries, energy, transportation, aquaculture, tourism and health care products.
The workshop has three working sessions - Ocean Resources For Sustainable Development, Access To Acquire Ocean Resources, and Unclos: The Framework For A Sustainable Ocean-Based Economy.
The inaugural programme will be attended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while the concluding session will be chaired by Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.
