ASEAN pushes blue economy agenda with Manila forum
The 4th ASEAN Blue Economy Forum opened in Manila on Monday with officials stressing inclusion as the cornerstone of sustainable ocean-based growth across Southeast Asia.
Source: RSS · August 25, 2026 at 2:00 AM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceMANILA, 25 AUGUST 2026 —
The 4th ASEAN Blue Economy Forum opened in Manila on Monday with officials stressing inclusion as the cornerstone of sustainable ocean-based growth across Southeast Asia.
Market Impact
Philippine Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty told delegates the blue economy must deliver tangible benefits to coastal communities, not just national GDP. “We must ensure the blue economy remains fundamentally about people,” he said. The two-day hybrid event, chaired by the Philippines as ASEAN’s 2024 chair, advances the 2026-2030 ASEAN Blue Economy Implementation Plan, which reframes oceans, seas and freshwater as engines of inclusive growth.
Retno Marsudi, the UN special envoy on water and a former Indonesian foreign minister, said the agenda is “more than an economic agenda; it is a demonstration of what effective multilateralism can deliver for people, prosperity, and planet.” She insisted communities be involved at every stage—design, implementation and benefit sharing—rather than consulted after policies are set.
Zhang Nianshan, director-general of the Southeast Asia Department at the Asian Development Bank, said the region’s natural assets sustain millions of livelihoods, but face intensifying threats from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. He called the implementation plan a pivot from vision to coordinated action, highlighting the need for a pipeline of bankable projects and “practical, resource-oriented” regional cooperation.
Success, Zhang said, should be measured by resilient coastal communities and better access to finance and markets for MSMEs, alongside job opportunities for women and youth—not only investment volumes or infrastructure built. Aimee Gonzales, executive director of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, warned that a blue economy that raises national GDP while displacing fisherfolk is not sustainable.
“Macro indicators mean nothing to a coastal community if their local waters are depleted and their lands are inundated by sea level rise,” she said.
For Malaysian business leaders, the forum signals that sustainable maritime projects will increasingly rely on inclusive financing, MSME integration and climate-resilient infrastructure—opportunities that domestic banks, insurers and SMEs can target.
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