Online Workshop: “Sustainable Development Goals: Working Together for a Better Future in the Blue Economy”

Royal Holloway University of London und die Brunel University London laden am 9. Juni zusammen mit dem Deutschen Schifffahrtsmuseum / Leibniz Institut für Maritime Geschichte zu einem englischsprachigen Online-Workshop zum Thema Blue Economy ein.

The Blue Economy, which is estimated to value $3 trillion and support approx. 40 million jobs by 2023 is a twenty-first century imperative for the global community. It combines the views of oceans and seas as areas of entrepreneurial opportunity, growth, industrialisation, and development, on the one hand, and as vulnerable spaces, that need to be protected and safeguarded, on the other hand. The Blue Economy promotes sustainable growth of ocean-related industries while improving lives of communities and people in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As the oceans and seas are under increasing pressure, it is important to embrace a holistic view of the multiple priorities that confront a shift towards sustainability in the maritime world, affecting society, economy, technology, and education worldwide. Business and policy endeavours should go beyond the relatively narrow scope of SDG 14 that pertains to the sustainable use of the oceans and marine resources, and include aspects such as the improvement of decent work (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), poverty reduction (SDG 1), and sustainable consumption (SDG 12).

This online workshop (Zoom) brings together corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, policy experts, and NGOs, as well as management researchers to discuss the 17 UN SDGs with regard to practices in companies across industries in the Blue Economy, such as shipping, fishing, port management, marine aquaculture, and blue investments. Open questions are for example: How are the SDGs prioritised and integrated into businesses’ strategic agendas? To what extent do the SDGs complement each other, or do tensions and trade-offs exist between them? What innovations are needed to implement the SDGs in business operations? How do national and international regulations affect businesses in implementing the SDGs and enhancing sustainable growth?

The workshop seeks to pool expertise and first-hand experiences from diverse areas and industries in the Blue Economy in order to apply the SDGs and develop locally grounded, globally impactful strategies which improve business practices and operations. We aim to establish a network of like-minded people to enhance the transfer of knowledge, map out best practices and tools, and explore alternative views and solutions.

The workshop is funded by CHRONOS, Royal Holloway’s Centre for Critical and Historical Research on Organisation and Society.

Online-Workshop on “Sustainable Development Goals: Working Together for a Better Future in the Blue Economy”, Friday, 09.06.2023, 14:00 - 17:00 (CET)

Organizers: Royal Holloway University of London and Brunel University London together with the German Maritime Museum/ Leibniz Institute for Maritime History