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Welcoming Remarks by the Ambassador of Italy to Japan, Gianluigi Benedetti, on the occasion of the Italy Innovation Days: Blue Economy (Tokyo, October 30th 2024)

Good afternoon everyone, buongiorno a chi ci segue dall’Italia, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to this Italy Innovation Days seminar dedicated to the blue economy and marine systems, a key sector for the future of our economies and our seas.

 

Our gathering today reflects the shared commitment, outlined in the Strategic Partnership signed in Rome in 2023 and the Bilateral Action Plan for 2024-2027, to deepen our cooperation also in sectors such as sustainable marine resources, infrastructure and innovation, in line with the common goals of de-carbonization by 2050.

 

Italy and Japan share a deep connection with the sea. Internationally, both countries have taken significant steps within the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, particularly through the Sustainable Development Goal 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. Reaching these objectives is critical not only to protect our environment, but also for the economic vitality of our nations.

 

Italy has substantial interests and strengths in the blue economy sectors that employs one million people domestically and is worth over 60 million euros. Our advanced shipbuilding industry, large fishing fleet, and renowned coastal tourism contribute significantly to our economy, while our research centers lead innovations in ecosystem monitoring and marine biotechnology.

 

Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Italy pledged 6.6 billion euros to the development of maritime sustainability, emphasizing projects in infrastructure, such as fleet modernization, port electrification and offshore renewable energy installations.

 

These significant measures include improving maritime accessibility and restoring marine habitats, which are essential for ensuring the long-term sustainability of our marine resources. Moreover, our investments in new technologies – such as underwater drones, marine biotechnology, and data digitization – are pivotal for advancing our blue economy.

 

For Japan, the blue economy is similarly instrumental to the domestic market. Japan’s vision for the blue economy – as we will hear today – encompasses the innovative Blue Carbon initiatives and Japan’s marine system policies reflect broader goals in carbon capture and digitalization.

 

The Marine Plan recently adopted by the Japanese Government, along with the active participation in the 30×30 Initiative – which aims to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030 – underscores the country’s focus on expanding marine protected areas and preserving biodiversity.

 

The scope of Japan’s vision on the “marine system” offers remarkable synergies for Italian and Japanese institutions, industries and researchers.

 

While collaborating in these areas can yield significant benefits, such as sharing best practices, realizing joint initiatives and co-developing new marine technologies, cooperation and common efforts will also help in facing the many challenges ahead of us in this domain.

 

I think, for example, to the necessity to adapt our infrastructures to rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events that poses significant hurdles for coastal cities and communities; to the risk of overfishing that threatens both the livelihoods of our fishermen and the biodiversity of our oceans; and to the need to respect more stringent environmental standards that influence our industrial structures and our economic growth.

 

In order to face those challenges, a strategic collaboration between Italy and Japan in the blue economy sectors will be essential. Platforms like the Italy-Japan Business Group (IJBG) will surely facilitate this work fostering bilateral exchanges to ensure that the industries of both countries can maximize their strengths and capabilities by developing partnerships and joint projects, including for industrial research.

 

I am confident that this seminar will be helpful to highlight our common ambitions and capabilities, transforming these challenges into opportunities for new partnerships that will contribute to the growth and sustainability of our economies and the social development of our countries.

 

Thank you.