Bangladesh has been selected as one of seven emerging ocean economies to pioneer the groundbreaking Ocean Centres Initiative, a global effort to foster safer and more sustainable ocean economies in the Global South.
This selection follows a comprehensive 2023 scoping phase, which included analysis of strategies from the UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition, academic research, benchmarking, and expert interviews conducted across diverse national contexts.
Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to advance ocean sustainability, with significant potential in fisheries, offshore energy, and port and shipping modernization.
However, structural and governance challenges, such as limited market competition, fragmented institutional responsibilities, and weak environmental planning, continue to impede progress.
Climate risks, infrastructure deficits, and safety concerns further complicate the landscape.
The Ocean Centres Initiative will address these challenges by focusing on four key priorities. The initiative will work on building safety awareness in the fishing and aquaculture sector while integrating sustainability into port and shipping development. It will also focus on responsibly leveraging untapped marine resources and strengthening coordination among state entities, and fostering public-private collaboration through finance and investment in the ocean industry.
By tackling these critical areas, the initiative aims to steer Bangladesh's blue economy toward resilience, transparency, and long-term sustainability.
The Ocean Centres Initiative was officially launched at a high-level side event of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) on June 10 in Nice, France.
Titled "United by Ocean Centres — Global and Local Ocean Collaboration in Practice," the event featured international experts, government leaders, and Country Leads, including Ocean Centres Bangladesh.
During the conference held from June 8 to 14, country leads from Ocean Centres Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Philippines participated in workshops and spoke at the launch, with Commodore Mohammad Abdur Razzak (retd) representing Ocean Centres Bangladesh at the conference.
The UN Global Compact Network Bangladesh (UNGCNB) is the local chapter of the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, uniting over 66 cross-sector Bangladeshi companies committed to responsible business practices. By aligning with the ten principles covering human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption, member organizations gain access to a global platform for collaboration, learning, and leadership.
The Network actively supports Bangladeshi companies through capacity-building workshops, peer learning sessions, and strategic engagement across the four key thematic areas.
Members have observed continuous impacts on their businesses and supply chains in the areas of Human Rights and Labour, Environment and Climate Change, Anti-Corruption and Governance, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
