Officer-In-Charge/Assistant Resident Representative, Ava Whyte Anderson
23 March 2023 @ 3:30 p.m. | Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston, Jamaica

Salutations

•    Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Jamaica, Hon. Floyd Green 
•    Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda 
•    Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hon Saboto Caesar 
•    Norwegian Ambassador to the Caribbean, H.E. Beate Stirø 
•    Deputy Director General, Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Olav Norheim
•    Executive Director, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Milton Haughton
•    CEO, Jamaica National Fisheries Authority, Dr. Gavin Bellamy
•    UNDP Regional Technical Specialist for Water, Oceans, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, AnaMaria Nunez
•    Project Manager UNDP Blue Resilience, Emma Witbooi
•    Other distinguished ladies and gentlemen
 

Good Morning!

Eight months after we gathered in UN City, Copenhagen to launch the Caribbean Blue Justice Hub on an international stage, we have rightfully re-assembled to launch the Hub on Caribbean soil. 

This is a signal of our intention to advance the mission, to address Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and Transnational Organized Crime across the Caribbean Sea.  Regional commitment to the Copenhagen Declaration, ratified by many Member States of the Caribbean, has never been stronger.

By bolstering capacities to track, identify, apprehend and interdict across those who perpretrate these crimes across the region, we are reinforcing our strategic interests to harness the Blue Economy for sustainable economic growth and livelihoods. 

The Blue Economy contributes 3 to 6 trillion USD to the world economy as a storehouse of food, medicine, minerals, jobs, products and livelihoods and gateway. In blue economy is a facilitator of 90% of the world’s trade. By developing and maximizing the Caribbean region’s blue economy we can help drive economic development and diversification, enhance the quality of people’s lives and reduce poverty. 

But we must tackle significant barriers posed by fisheries crime to maximize the potential of the Blue Economy.
Fisheries crimes are not only limited to illegal fishing and its value chain, but are extended to human trafficking, fraud, corruption, tax crime and many others. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates the value of fish lost to criminal activities is between 10 to 23 billion dollars annually, and a 2022 Report on Latin America and the Caribbean indicates that some 8 to 15 percent of the annual catch is lost to IUU fishing annually. 

Through coordinated and dedicated effort, the Caribbean can tackle this challenge together, bolstered by training and technology. The centrepiece of this regional cooperation is the Blue Justice Community, a secure online portal that facilitates communication, knowledge exchange and technical support from the International Blue Justice Tracking Centre in Norway. 

This is a stellar example of how UNDP intends to leverage digital transformation to underpin transformative actions that improve the quality of people’s lives and livelihoods.  UNDP’s Multi Country Office in Jamaica is happy to stand with the region in accelerating action within the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub as we advance interagency and intra-regional coordination on fisheries crime under Jamaica’s leadership. 

I wish to express sincere appreciation once again to the Government of Norway and the UNDP Nordic Representation Office (NRO) for their support of the Blue Justice Initiative (BJI). The Jamaica MCO also extends commendation to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining which through its National Fisheries Authority is serving as a most capable and efficient leader of the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub.   We call on the Government’s of the region to maximize the potential of the region Hub by participating fully in its initiatives.

You can count on the continued support of UNDP here in Jamaica to facilitate your ambitions for this transformative intervention. UNDP in collaboration with our partners are committed to providing the requisite resources at the national and regional levels to ensure the Hub meets its full potential.