Last month, I had the privilege of moderating two key events at UNIDO’s General Conference in Riyadh – both dedicated to advancing one of the most forward-looking agendas in global sustainable development: UNIDO’s emerging Blue Industry vision.

🌊 The first event – 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚: 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 – highlighted how Blue Industries can reshape economic development across marine and freshwater systems, from sustainable aquaculture and ocean renewable energy to BlueTech, blue tourism, maritime logistics, marine conservation, and blue finance.

💡 It was inspiring to hear leaders and experts outline a collective ambition for resilient, low-carbon value chains – and to see UNIDO announce several new initiatives, including the UN Global Seaweed Initiative, the UNIDO-WTCA Blue Economy Global Call 2026, and the Blue Ports Initiative.

🤝 In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to moderate 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚, an interactive roundtable exploring how UNIDO, development partners, and the private sector can collaborate to scale inclusive, low-carbon, and innovation-driven Blue Industry development.

📈 The session examined three complementary pathways – Blue Ports, the UN Global Seaweed Initiative, and ScaleX:Bluetech – and how together they can unlock thriving water-based economies through integrated value chains, technology acceleration, and climate-aligned trade corridors.

📘 These discussions felt especially meaningful for me. Last year, I supported UNIDO in developing its 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚, and it was energizing to see that work take shape in real-world commitments, partnerships, and momentum at GC21.

💙 Thank you to the outstanding teams and partners driving this agenda forward – including UNIDO, Alejandro Rivera Rojas, Rebeca Gallardo Gomez, Nima Bahramalian, Adnan Serić, Diana Battaggia, and all the government and institutional leaders contributing to a more resilient and inclusive Blue Industry.

Looking forward to continuing the Blue Industry journey.

Further reading:
⛓️ Blue Ports: Gateways to Sustainable Industrial and Inclusive Development https://hub.unido.org/sites/default/files/publications/Blue%20Ports_v_1.4-lr.pdf
⛓️ Blueprint for Sustainable Development: UNIDO’s Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda https://hub.unido.org/sites/default/files/publications/Blueprint_SD_v_1.4-pages-lr.pdf