Post - Press Release
The Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank under the Ministry of Defence on national security, hosted a Round Table Discussion on “Blue Economic Strategies to Energize the Economic Development of Sri Lanka: Challenges and Opportunities” on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, from 1000hrs to 1130hrs (IST) via Zoom. Rear Admiral Y.N. Jayarathne (Retd) RWP*, RSP, USP, ndu, psc, Consultant, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Professor Mohan Munasighe, Founder and Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute of Development, and Dr. T.D.K.D. Thennakoon, Director General, National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency (NARA) were the three distinguished Guest Speakers of the event. The session was moderated by Rear Admiral Dimuthu Gunawardena, RWP**, RSP, VSV, USP, nswc, psc, hdmc, Acting Director General and Director (Communications and Publications) of INSS. The audience included ministry officials, academics, researchers, policymakers, and Sri Lanka Armed Forces representatives. The moderator commenced the proceedings by explaining about the current status of blue economy. Initially, Rear Admiral Y.N. Jayarathne (Retd) RWP*, RSP, USP, ndu, psc, Consultant, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime shared his thoughts under the topic “Role of Marine Law Enforcement Agencies in Securing Prospects of Blue Economy in Sri Lanka”. In his discussion, he further elaborated on how three major aspects of the Blue Economy; Fisheries, Power and Energy and Trade could advance the Blue Economy in Sri Lanka, further emphasizing how Bangladesh and Maldives have successfully adopted the Blue Economy strategies. Secondly, Professor Mohan Munasighe, Founder and Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute of Development gave an extensive elaboration on the topic of “Strategic & Sustainable Management of Sri Lanka´s Marine Resources in a Multipolar World with Balanced Inclusive Green Growth.”. In his presentation, he emphasized on unfair consumption patterns of marine ecosystems in the world, and how these are interconnected with achieving Sustainable development goals, and further explained about how to balance the unsustainable global systems and highlighted the need to balance the economy and environment, as well as some recommendations for protecting marine resources. Finally, Dr. T.D.K.D. Thennakoon, Director General, the National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency (NARA) focused on the topic of “Blue Economic Strategies to Energize the Economic Development of Sri Lanka. Challenges and Opportunities”. He emphasized how NARA works towards strategizing the Blue Economy in Sri Lanka. Rather than the living resources, he emphasized how Non-living maritime resources could harness the economic capabilities of Sri Lanka. The moderator led a good Q & A session in the final 20 minutes of the programme, allowing the presenters to react constructively with the required information to the audience’s queries. Finally, Ms Helini Yapa Bandara, INSS Research Intern, offered the Vote of Thanks, bringing the Round Table Discussion to a close.