A delegation of seven ambassadors to Italy from some of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) countries, accompanied by the Director General for Global Affairs (DGMO) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luca Sabbatucci, visited the CIHEAM Headquarters in Bari.
Among the objectives of a strengthened partnership between Italy and IORA is to facilitate exchanges and investments with IORA Member States, promoting not only cooperation in the blue economy sector, but also in the field of disaster prevention and management, academic, scientific and technological collaboration, tourism and cultural exchanges.
In this regard, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia and Mozambique, represented by the IORA Ambassadors in Italy, expressed their interest for opportunities for collaboration so that their coastal communities – which draw support from economy of the marine and coastal ecosystem – can exchange experiences with Mediterranean countries which, thanks to the NEMO project of the Italian Cooperation – implemented by CIHEAM Bari – are involved and organized online.
NEMO integrates with FAO’s Blue Hope initiative, which aims to transform communities on the southern shore of the Mediterranean into catalysts for stability and growth, by supporting small-scale fishing activities.
The project, among other things, activated the WebPort dialogue platform (www.webport.cloud) between fishermen and administrations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Albania. WebPort creates, interactively, meetings between experts and fishermen, allowing them to make fishing techniques more efficient, bringing benefits to the quality of work and environmental sustainability.
The blue economy as an opportunity for stronger cooperation in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean will be among the topics of discussion of the meeting that will take place on the 20th at CIHEAM Bari.