the_bridge_tank, auteur sur The Bridge Tank

The Bridge Tank and French Development Agency launch their 2nd workshop on Blue economy: implementation issues

Posted on 1 February 20229 March 2022 by the_bridge_tank

On January 21, 2022, The Bridge Tank held the second workshop in a series of three with the mandate of the French Development Agency on blue economy in the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka). Whereas the first workshop aimed at earmarking new blue economy priorities for various actors and nations in the Bay of Bengal, this second workshop: Blue Economy in the Bay of Bengal – Implementation Issues, aimed to open discussions between experts, policy makers and economic actors to identify gaps and challenges that impede a concrete and efficient implementation of blue economy value chains in the Bay of Bengal region. By linking research and operational approaches, this workshop conducted a collective inventory of data gathering and treatment systems, logistic and financial resources and gaps for sustainable blue economy activities (value chains and social and natural resilience) implementation and acceleration.

This workshop was comprised of two panels; the first panel, open to the public, was dedicated to exploring the importance of data collection towards the improvement of monitoring blue economy assets. The second panel, a closed-door round table, centered on engaging discussion between public and private entities, researchers and implementers towards the implementation of a sustainable blue economy.

Among the challenges identified, the speakers all agreed on the following 5:

Lack of information and coordination within countries and in the region;
Need for institutional capacity building;
Enhance resources (fisheries) enhancement;
Need for increasing public and private cooperation;
Need for more regional joint research studies and projects.

Panel 1: Data collection for improved monitoring of the blue economy’s assets

Speakers:

Dr. Shailesh Nayak, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), India
Ms. Akshita Sharma, Biodiversity Portfolio Manager, AFD Delhi
Mr. Nishan Perera, Blue Resources Trust, Sri Lanka
Mr. Abu Saleh Khan, Executive Director, Institute of Water Modelling, Bangladesh

Discussion participants:

Dr. (Mrs.) Hélène Djoufelkit, Research Director of the AFD
Arnab Das, Director, Maritime Research Center, India
Md. Adbul Wahab, EcoFish Team Leader, World Fish Bangladesh Wing
Dr. (Mrs.) Chime Youdon, Associate Fellows, National Maritime Foundation, India
Saurabh Thakur, Associate Fellows, National Maritime Foundation, India

Panel 2: National framework for improved coordination between public, private entities, researchers and implementers

Short presentation of take-aways from experts’ workshops and objectives by Joël Ruet, President of The Bridge Tank & Jacky Amprou, Regional Director for South-Asia, AFD
Round table – 5 minutes pitch of projects, initiatives or solutions from each speaker
Open discussion across panelists

Speakers and guests:

Mr. Shri Aditya Dash, Vice Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), India
Ms. Dharshani Lahandapura, Chairperson, The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), Sri Lanka
Mr. Khairul Majid Mahmud, Director, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Bangladesh
Ms. Panchali Ellepola, Project Officer, AFD Sri Lanka
Mr. Ameya Prabhu, Vice-President, Indian Chamber of Commerce, India
Ms. Soma Mitra-Muckerjee, Director, Head of Projects, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, India
Mr. Pattabhi Rama Rao, Group Director, Ocean Observations, Modelling and Data Assimilation Group, Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
Mr. Reda Souirgi, Country Director Sri Lanka, AFD

With the participation of the panelists from the panel 1.

The third and final workshop in this series will be held mid-March 2022 and will aim to identify political ambitions in the sector and willingness/possibility of regional cooperation with the contribution of the French know-how in the maritime field.

Read our report here and our executive summary here.

Watch panel 1 and panel 2 of the workshop on our Youtube.r

The Bridge Tank Report – Renewable Energy auctions in Kazakhstan in light of Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, India and Germany

Posted on 7 January 20227 January 2022 by the_bridge_tank

In the context of our accelerating and transforming economic and energy systems, renewable energy auction systems have contributed in some manner to stimulating the renewables sector over the past decades. This is mainly due to the lower costs of new technologies, useful for emerging countries lacking investment resources, but also to the political implementation of this auction mechanism by becoming a model instrument for clean energy.

To understand renewable energy auction systems and mechanisms, we conducted an analysis to lay elements of designing a methodology support of conducting renewable energy auctions in the scope of country experiences (Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, India and Germany) in order to identity the more or less effective auction system and sort the mechanisms and processes that could be replicated in other countries, contributing to the acceleration of the renewable energy market. Based on the results, we then drew up a methodology to support auction developments, particularly useful in developing countries. To ensure its relevance, we tested it on the case of Kazakhstan.

Read here our report (English): Renewable energy auction_report_221121

The Bridge Tank and the French Development Agency launched a joint seminar series on blue economy in the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka)

Posted on 30 November 202110 December 2021 by the_bridge_tank

The Bridge Tank and AFD are co-hosting three workshops to understand the way in which Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka organize their blue economy strategies, adapt to the physical impacts of climate change of the fishery resource and to identify the priorities, the opportunities and the needs for action. Along with the research and operational departments of the French Development Agency (AFD), we engage with marine, coastal and fisheries resource management bodies and influential national or regional think tanks.

On November 26^th 2021, the online inaugural workshop gathered strategic thinking of the participants ahead of developing a growing interaction between them and institutes and policy makers in the following workshops, planned for January and February 2022.

This first workshop aimed at earmarking new blue economy priorities for various actors and nations in the Bay of Bengal, bringing shared understandings and diagnostics, identifying opportunities and needs in socio-economic projects. It aimed to identify the regional context and issues related to the blue economy, in particular the improvement of living standards of coastal communities and resource users through sustainable management of fisheries and integrated coastal management to adapt to climate change, through two panels.

This virtual event brought together 12 speakers from 10 key organizations working on the blue economy in the region, gathering over 100 attendees.

Two panels shared speakers’ understanding of the different local issues related to the value chain of fisheries resources.

Panel 1: “Resilient coastal ecosystems as a crucial prerequisite for sustainable economic value chains?”

Speakers:

Dr. Arnab Das, Director, Maritime Research Centre, India

Dr Srinivas Kumar, Director, Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)

Ms Hasamini Sweenie Thilakarathne, Project coordinator and international affairs officer, Marine Environment Conservation Society of Sri Lanka (MECS), Sri Lanka Dr Chime Youdon & Dr Saurabh Thakur, Associate Fellows, National Maritime Foundation

Mr. Mashiur Rahaman, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock

Panel 2: “Sustainable fisheries and enhanced livelihood: actions on fisheries for food security, job access and climate change adaptation in the region”

Speakers:

Mrs Afifat Khanam Ritika, Research Officer, Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development (BIMRAD)

Mr Md. Abdul Wahab, EcoFish Team Leader, WorldFish, Bangladesh Wing

Mrs Runa Khan, Founder & Executive Director, Friendship NGO

Dr M.F.M. Fairoz, Dean, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Ocean University of Sri Lanka

Dr. Md. Sharif Uddin, Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh

To watch the workshop online, click here: Panel 1 & Panel 2

To read the minutes report, click here

“Profiteering & pandemic: WTO, pharma industry must introspect”, tribune by our board member Pranjal Sharma

Posted on 22 November 202130 January 2022 by the_bridge_tank

In the ongoing context of the Covid-19 pandemic, our board member, Pranjal Sharma, wrote the following OpEd, published by The Daily Guardian, on the benefits of waivering the IPR (intellectual property rights) on vaccine production, particularly for low-income countries such as India and those of the African continent.

Read his tribune here: https://thedailyguardian.com/profiteering-pandemic-wto-pharma-industry-must-introspect/

France 24 – Joël Ruet speaks on the 2021 Chinese Communist Party Congress and Chinese economic difficulties

Posted on 15 November 202116 December 2021 by the_bridge_tank

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its most important meeting of the year on Monday, the 8th of November 2021, which will set President Xi Jinping’s historic vision in stone. The Beijing strongman has been in power for nine years and in a year’s time will seek a third term as head of the CCP — further cementing his stature as the country’s most powerful leader since the Communist regime’s founder, Mao Tse-tung, ruled from 1949 to 1976. Why this resolution? According to Joel Ruet, President of The Bridge Tank, who spoke on this matter on French television channel France 24, it could be a sign of economic difficulties the regime faces.

Watch his intervention (in French) here.

Special Report – Moving ahead of COP26 & COP15: finance & coalitions for hydrogen & the blue economy

Posted on 10 November 202111 November 2021 by the_bridge_tank

In the context of international negotiations on climate and biodiversity (COP26 and COP15), The Bridge Tank has developed analyses on global priority topics, these international conferences of which are considered as some of the most urgent.

This report aims to contribute to the global and diplomatic discussion on climate change and biodiversity challenges. Through deep academic and scientific review, we designed method, foresight, and recommended solutions, divided into 4 chapters. The first two chapters put forward positions, structuring and global elements on adaptation, finance and governance while forcing action at different scales. The second two chapters develop scientific, industrial and technical theories on operational subjects.

The first chapter addresses the ADAPTATION FINANCE mechanisms with a specific focus on blended finance as an efficient tool to finance emerging economies. Our analyses allow us to identify various tools for scaling up climate action.

The second chapter deals with the innovative approach of COALITION into the climate change negotiations toward bottom up and regional coalition by involving non state-actors.

The third chapter focuses on the place HYDROGEN can take in the energy transition as an upcoming energy vector. It underlines the specific economic and political dynamics that characterize the hydrogen ecosystems and puts forward possible bottlenecks that could impede its effective scale up for industry uses in the coming years.

The last chapter explores the need to work towards a transition to a BLUE ECONOMY in coastal territories worldwide and more specifically in the Indo-Pacific. This chapter highlights the fact that the ocean industrialization needs to be limited and coastal ecosystem and blue economy value chain should be better integrated.

Edited by: Malaurie Le Bail and Joël Ruet

Contributors: Baudouin Becker, Clarisse Comte, Florian Dommergues and Malaurie Le Bail

Proofreading and graphic design: Jacqueline Duan

Read here our report: Final report_climate change and biodiversity_TBT_Nov21

COP26 Side Event – Liberal International’s Declaration for Climate

Posted on 9 November 202115 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

On 8 November 2021, The Bridge Tank, an Observing Member to Liberal International participated to an online roundtable event on the fringes of COP26, hosted by ALDE Party and Liberal International. Liberal policymakers and representatives from partner organizations congregated to share their views and exchange information on the ongoing United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The event was chaired by ALDE Party acting co-President Timmy Dooley and President of Liberal International Hakima El Haité.

The participants discussed the role of liberals when it comes to influencing the sustainability agenda in the next years, with a particular look at the first week of negotiations and an eye towards the second and final round of negotiations. Moreover, they also stressed the importance of the liberal voice, including younger generations, when it comes to building back better from the pandemic and generating jobs and growth as well as for the respect of rule of law across the globe.

At the end of the roundtable, the participants adopted a pledge calling on states to increase their climate ambitions. In this pledge, the participants called for stronger international cooperation to raise climate commitments and implement them, called on states to submit more ambitious NDCs, and urged for more technical and financial support to be granted to developing states to improve their capacity to take climate action.

“Protection of global biodiversity is also essential to combat environmental degradation and climate change. Our planet is currently facing its sixth mass extinction as a consequence of human activity, and it is disrupting ecosystems around the world, threatening our food production, and increasing risks of pandemics. We must take bold and rapid action now to change this, and therefore call on states to include biodiversity protection as a central part in their climate action plans.

The time for talk is now over – the only option left is action.”

Read the full pledge on Liberal International’s website.

The Bridge Tank at the 10th international session of IFGR in Geneva

Posted on 4 November 202114 June 2023 by the_bridge_tank

The 10th international session of Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers – IFGR (Initiatives pour l’Avenir des Grands Fleuves, IAGF), an organisation chaired by Erik Orsenna, member of the Académie Française, was held in Geneva from 27 October to 1 November 2021. The Bridge Tank took part in this meeting of dialogue and reflection on the theme of “River, Lake and City: the conditions for a successful alliance” through the presence of our Joël Ruet, President, and of our board member Hamed Semega, High Commissioner of the Senegal River Basin Development Organisation (OMVS), participating in this session in his capacity as member of the IFGR Rivers Committee.

2M TV Morocco – Joël Ruet speaks on how the roll-out of the vaccine pass will facilitate the return to normal life

Posted on 26 October 202116 December 2021 by the_bridge_tank

Joël Ruet, President of The Bridge Tank, spoke on newscast Infosoir on Monday 25 October on the French-Moroccan television channel 2M. Joël Ruet indicated that the world is in a new phase in the treatment of the pandemic, with imperatives and specificities that differ from the period of its advent. “Before,”, Joël Ruet recalled, “the virus had to be prevented from circulating but, in doing so, populations were prevented from circulating, it was containment,” a necessary measure given the absence of a vaccine.

Watch his intervention (in French) here.

The Bridge Tank contributes to the 2021 Armenian edition of the Summit of Minds

Posted on 25 October 202110 December 2021 by the_bridge_tank

The 2021 Armenian edition of the Summit of Minds forum was held on the 23^rd and 24^th of October in the city of Dijilan, in the presence of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian. The Bridge Tank’s president Joël Ruet, attended this event alongside our board member Pranjal Sharma, who intervened on the panel: “A New Social Contract in the Time of AI, New Technologies & Covid-19”.

Joël Ruet notably exchanged with Andrey Kortunov, the Director General of RIAC (Russian International Affairs Council), during the panel “Global Transformations & Quantum Politics – Challenging the Unknown”.