ADB Seminar

Ocean Health: Actions from Source to Sea

Thursday, 2 May 2019, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Ocean Health: Actions from Source to Sea

Panelists

Bambang BrodjonegoroAlternate Governor for Indonesia, ADB; and Minister of National Development Planning, Indonesia

Bambang Brodjonegoro is minister of development planning and head of Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency, Bappenas. Prior to his appointment in 2016, Mr. Brodjonegoro served as minister of finance, and before that, as vice minister of finance. He joined the Ministry of Finance in 2011 as the acting head of the Fiscal Policy Agency. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Brodjonegoro was director general of the Islamic Research and Training Institute of the Islamic Development Bank.

Naoko IshiiCEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility

Naoko Ishii has served as the CEO and chairperson for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) since August 2012. Before joining the GEF, Ms. Ishii was the deputy vice minister of finance of Japan, and represented the Japanese government during the design of the Green Climate Fund. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ishii worked as a country director for the World Bank, and has held positions with the International Monetary Fund and the Harvard Institute for International Development.

Takehiko NakaoPresident and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, ADB 

Takehiko Nakao is the President of ADB and the Chairperson of ADB's Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB's Board of Governors and assumed office in April 2013. Before joining ADB, Mr. Nakao was the vice minister of finance for international affairs at the Ministry of Finance of Japan.

Cristelle PrattDeputy Secretary General, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Cristelle Pratt is deputy secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, with vast expertise in ocean governance, and climate and disaster risk resilience. Ms. Pratt has worked for the Government of Fiji and in various regional roles, with the most senior being that of director general/CEO of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission from 2004 to 2010. Ms. Pratt holds tertiary qualifications in marine law and policy from Dalhousie University, Canada and in geoscience from the Australian University, Australia.

Andrew SteerPresident and CEO, World Resources Institute

Andrew Steer is the president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, a global research organization that works in more than 50 countries. Mr. Steer is a global agenda trustee for the World Economic Forum and serves on the Executive Board of the UN secretary general’s Sustainable Energy For All Initiative. Mr. Steer previously served as the World Bank’s special envoy for climate change and director general of the UK Department of International Development.

Moderator

Craig LeesonFounder of Leeson Media, Director/Writer/Executive Producer of A Plastic Ocean, and Chief Global Evangelist for the Plastic Oceans Foundation

Craig Leeson is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, television presenter, and public speaker. He is the founder of Leeson Media International and Ocean Vista Films, and chairperson of the I Shot Hong Kong Film Festival. He is also the Asia correspondent for the Seven Network and an international correspondent for Al Jazeera English. Previously, Craig has worked with major global broadcasters including the BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, PBS, and Australia’s ABC. He made his feature-length directorial debut on A Plastic Ocean.

Seminar Summary

This seminar discussed the interconnectedness of ocean health and economic development, as well as actions to protect and restore our oceans.

Mr. Brodjonegoro discussed the Indonesian Government’s commitment to reduce plastic waste by 70% by 2025. He talked about the negative impact plastic pollution has had on tourism and is advocating to impose an excise tax on single-use plastics.

Ms. Ishii pointed out that the ocean is a global common that needs mechanisms to address various issues. She cited three solutions: mapping resources, bringing stakeholders together, and realizing the values of the ocean as natural capital to maximize and protect its global benefits.

Mr. Steer talked about the WRI’s role in support of the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy with 14 heads of state. He encouraged governments to recognize the power of the ocean to make life on earth livable. He added that there was more collective action when women are involved in conservation.

According to Ms. Pratt, the Pacific is “the largest oceanic continent on the blue planet.” The region has shown leadership and willingness to work together on ocean issues. Well-established regional policies already exist to ensure sustainable use of resources.

President Nakao shared that the recently launched ADB Action Plan for Healthy Oceans and Sustainable Blue Economies included a financing component of $5 billion between 2019- 2024. He cited successful projects in Shanghai, China, and Boracay, Philippines where ecosystems were restored through political will and supportive investments in pollution control and waste management.

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