Celebrating 5 Years of the Blue Justice Initiative

A Landmark in Cooperative Global Action to address Fisheries Crime

June 18, 2024

Oscarsborg, Norway, 18 June 2024 — UNDP, in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and the Blue Justice Secretariat, proudly marked the fifth anniversary of the Blue Justice Initiative. Launched by Norway and in partnership with UNDP, this initiative enhances regional and global enforcement cooperation and sustainable practices in the fishing industry. The celebration conference took take place on June 18 at the Oscarsborg Fortress Island, situated in the inner Oslo Fjord outside of Drøbak, and was followed by three days of hands-on digital capacity building training, with representatives from more than 30 coastal and island states globally. The celebratory event featured speeches from State Secretary Bjørg Sandkjær (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the Director of UNDP’s Nordic Representation Office, Henrik Fredborg Larsen, amongst other esteemed guests.

“No actor or country is able to solve the challenges facing the ocean alone, especially in the evolving global situation with a world that is increasingly unpredictable and complex. (...) The fishing industry is an important industry that directly employs 60 million people worldwide who in the vast majority are small-scale fishers and law-abiding businesses. But unfortunately, fisheries crime such as illegal fishing, also linked to human trafficking, corruption and fraud, damages the legal fishing industry, coastal communities and the resources that they depend on”

State Secretary Bjørg Sandkjær

About the Blue Justice Initiative and UNDP’s Blue Resilience Project

The Blue Justice Initiative was launched by Norway in 2019 and aims to support the implementation of the International Declaration on Transnational Organized Crime in the Global Fishing Industry (Copenhagen Declaration). The initiative plays a crucial role in supporting countries worldwide in preventing and addressing fisheries crime, a significant threat to food security, marine resources, economies, and local communities. UNDP's Blue Resilience project is a key element of delivering on the Blue Justice initiative. The project facilitates national and regional capacity building and training in support of strengthened government institutional cooperation to this end. In March 2023 the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub (BJCH) was launched internationally at UN City, Copenhagen, to enhance regional cooperation in addressing fisheries crime. The Blue Resilience team joined UNDP Jamaica in November 2023 in cooperation with the Jamaica National Fisheries Authority to celebrate the Hub’s regional inaugural meeting. A sub-regional Hub workshop was also co-hosted by Blue Resilience in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in April 2024.

Key Components of the Initiative

The International Blue Justice Tracking Center was established in the Arctic town of Vardø in 2021 and enables the monitoring and tracking of vessels involved in fishing activities. It demonstrates how Norwegian technological solutions contribute to enhance the ability to detect and prevent illegal fishing practices.
Blue Justice Community: Developed by Norway, and administered by UNDP, this secure digital platform facilitates effective communication and collaboration between operational agencies participating in the Blue Justice Initiative to address national and cross-border fisheries crime. In the days following the five-year Blue Justice celebration, UNDP and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries hosted the 2024 Blue Justice Community Gathering to facilitate technical training on the new enhanced vessel tracking functionality in the portal and knowledge exchange between participants to inform enhanced development of platform tools and targeted project support.
Collaboration with Norwegian Agencies and International Partners: The Blue Justice Initiative benefits from the joint efforts of various Norwegian governmental agencies, including the Directorate of Fisheries and the Coastal Administration, and numerous international partners.

Watch the Recorded Live Broadcast of the 5 Years Celebration Ceremony here!