The National Development Planning Ministry/ National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Stanford University to develop the blue economy in Indonesia, according to reporting from Antara News.
The MoU was signed by Bappenas economy deputy Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti and Doerr School of Sustainability dean Arun Majumdar, who represented Stanford University.
“The cooperation explored between the two parties will comprise planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of the blue economy development,” National Development Planning Minister and Bappenas head Suharso Monoarfa said in an Instagram post on Friday.
“Secondly, it will involve the development of knowledge, capacity through training, research, advocacy, and program or project, including in blue food,” he added.
Other forms of cooperation will concern the international development of the blue economy that is relevant for Indonesia and other potential collaborations that the two parties agree on, say Antara News.
The collaboration will be implemented for three years, starting from the inking of the MoU.
It has been reported that the government is encouraging the development of the blue economy in Indonesia to create a resilient and sustainable economy, Monoarfa said.
Developing a sustainable and prosperous blue economy can contribute to raising revenue from sea-based activities that can be channeled toward marine conservation, he added.
The blue economy also seeks to encourage sustainable jobs for shoreline residents and preserve marine biodiversity through marine and shoreline ecosystem recovery, he continued.
According to Monoarfa, the blue economy concept has been developed to answer the challenges of the economic system that still tends to be exploitative and destructive to the environment by exceeding ecosystem capacity, say Antara News.
The core of the blue economy is sustainable development that is part of the green economy and an improvement in the green economy with the slogan “Blue Sky – Blue Ocean,” the minister said.
Through this approach, the economy can grow, people can prosper, and the sky and the ocean can remain blue, he noted.
“In conjunction with this, the blue economy will also be the foundation of Indonesia’s strategy for economic transformation toward inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” he said.
Source: Antara News
