UN-Habitat background paper on Blue Economy and Cities

The Blue Economy is an emerging concept which encourages better stewardship of our ocean and other blue resources. It provides for an inclusive model in which coastal zones, or those with significant waterbodies – which sometimes lack the capacity to manage their rich water resources – can begin to extend the benefit of those resources to all. The use of the term stems from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) outcomes where member states pledged to “protect and restore the health, productivity and resilience of oceans and marine ecosystem to maintain their diversity, enabling their conservation and sustainable use for present and future” 1. The terms ‘Blue Economy’ or ‘Blue Growth’ have over the years become common policy usage around the world. Despite increasing high-level adoption of the Blue Economy, as a concept as well as a goal of policy-making and investment, there is still no globally accepted definition of the term