UNIDO advances global Blue Industry agenda at 2nd Development Dialogue
Vienna, 26 May 2025 – In the lead up to the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC 3), Nice, France, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) convened the Second Development Dialogue on UNIDO’s Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda, accelerating momentum for industrial transformation across oceans, inland waters, coasts, and communities.
Held in a hybrid format at UNIDO Headquarters, the Dialogue provided an opportunity to engage with Member States on the formulation of the Blue Industry Strategic Framework, which will guide the Organization’s regional priority interventions in this area.
The event opened with remarks by H.E. Ms. Verónica García Gutiérrez, Minister Counseller and Consul General of the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in Vienna, underscoring the need for strong partnerships, coordination and governance as well as policies for competitiveness and the promotion of environmental sustainability and social equality in blue industries. Additional high-level opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Ms. Elizabeth Thompson, Deputy President of the Senate and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Climate Change, Small Island Developing States and Law of the Sea, Barbados emphasizing the significant opportunities the Blue Industry presents, and highlighting the efforts undertaken by Barbados and other Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to develop these potentials.
Mr. Alejandro Rivera Rojas, Chief of the Division for MSME Competitiveness, Quality and Job Creation and Chair of UNIDO’s Blue Industry Task Force elaborated on UNIDO’s emerging Blue Industry Framework, which provides targeted regional roadmaps across sectors like fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, ocean-based renewable energy, blue tourism and sustainable maritime transport and port development.
The Strategic framework is anchored in the concept of “Blue Industry,” a term coined by UNIDO, captures all traditional and emerging water-related productive activities that generate sustainable livelihoods, strengthen industrial value chains, protect ecosystems, and foster innovation - delivering on the promise of people, planet, and prosperity.
The Dialogue also featured engaging interventions offering regional perspectives from SIDS, the Asia-Pacific, European, and Latin American regions, including representatives from SIDS DOCK, ASEAN, the Agricultural University of Tirana, Republic of Albania, and RED PROPLAYAS, offering diverse perspectives on regional opportunities, challenges, and priorities - from combating marine plastic pollution and fostering sustainable tourism in the Asia-Pacific region to blue food valorisation and blue carbon finance in the LAC region.
This second Dialogue builds on the progress of the 2024 Expert Group Meeting and will directly feed into the upcoming launch of UNIDO’s Strategic Blue Industry Framework at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) on 11 June 2025 in Nice, France. The Framework aims to elevate UNIDO’s contribution to the global blue agenda and mobilize technical assistance, innovation, and investment across developing regions, ensuring that no country is left behind in unlocking the full potential of sustainable industrialization in marine, inland water and coastal spaces.
The UNIDO Blue Industry Conceptual Framework can be accessed here.
For more information, please contact Alejandro Rivera Rojas at A.RIVERA-ROJAS [at] unido.org
