Former President James Michel has been invited to speak at the 6^th World Ocean Summit which will take place in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of March.

In his address Mr. Michel will focus on the blue economy as a derivative of the Green economy under the theme “Blue is the New Green”. 

It is to be noted that during his Presidency, Mr. Michel pioneered and promoted the Blue Economy concept in Seychelles and internationally. He also wrote a book entitled “Rethinking the Oceans: Towards the Blue Economy” which has been acclaimed as ‘a very useful and, indeed, fascinating understanding of the Blue Economy’, ‘visionary and encouraging’ and ‘a programmatic text on ocean governance that is likely to set the agenda for years to come’.  

Since his retirement from the Presidency, Mr. Michel has set up the James Michel Foundation which continues to advocate and actively promote the concept of sustainability in the development of the economy with great emphasis on the protection of the oceans.

He is an appointed Oceans Ambassador of the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project and serves on several international Boards related to oceans sustainability and protection.

The annual World Ocean Summit is part of the fight for change. It is organised by The Economist Group’s World Ocean Initiative, aimed at building bridges between governments and businesses, and to catalyse meaningful progress towards a sustainable blue economy.

It brings together political leaders and policymakers, heads of global business, scientists, NGOs and multilaterals from across the globe.

This will be Mr. Michel’s first participation at the Economist World Ocean Summit.