Current Affairs 2022: India-France Agreement on Roadmap for Blue Economy & Ocean Governance

By Farzan Shaikh

Blue Economy and ocean governance are a common priority for India and France, both sides will work for sustainable use of marine resources.

India and France have signed an agreement that inks a roadmap to enhance bilateral exchanges on the blue economy. The roadmap aims at developing a common vision for ocean governance based on the existing rule of law and to mutually cooperate on the sustainable development of coastal and waterways infrastructure. The development happened during a three-day visit of External Affairs Minister Mr. S. Jaishankar to France, where he signed the agreement with his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian. 

What is a Blue economy?

Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources to enable economic growth, create employment and improve livelihood without damaging the health of the ocean ecosystem.

About the India-France Agreement

India and France plan to host an annual bilateral dialogue to exchange views on priorities on the blue economy and ocean governance. The goal is to share knowledge on best practices and mutually support ongoing and possible future cooperation.

According to the roadmap –
1. Both the countries will coordinate their stance in multilateral bodies and during negotiations to strengthen international law of the sea.
2. France and India also aim at enhancing their coordination with respect to the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (2022) to initiate negotiations for a global agreement on microplastic and marine plastic waste.
3. Blue economy will become a priority in the development of economic exchange between India and France through enabling contacts between economic actors, maritime clusters, organization heads of businesses, technopoles, visa issuance and cross investment to entrepreneurs active in the blue economy.
4. India aims to leverage France’s expertise in aquaculture for commercial development of farming technologies, farming of marine organisms for food and other commercial products such as pharmaceuticals and jewelry in a sustainable manner without harming the environment.
5. It includes joint development of brood banks, nucleus breeding centers, hatcheries, nurseries and joint studies for the prevention and cure of aquatic diseases.
6. It will aim at upgradation of current infrastructure to increase resilience to climate change.
7. It will increase port capacity and develop storage facilities.
8. Cooperation in equipment development such as dredging equipment, fishing boats/ships, trawler and spare parts/repair services will be considered.
9. Development of domestic waterways which is also India’s priority at this moment will be focused on. This includes fairway development, navigational tools and river information systems.
10. Increased scientific cooperation as well as an exchange of students and researchers. Both the countries will periodically organize a Knowledge Summit to foster bilateral scientific cooperation.
11. Raise private funding to establish an R&D Centre to support joint projects.

Through the abovementioned steps, India and France aim to strengthen their bilateral ties and economic exchange with a focus on the blue economy.