UN Ocean Conference: Discussions Held on Blue Economy, IOM & Marine Pollution

Dr. Jitendra Singh, India's Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, met with Norway's Minister for Climate and Environment, Espen Barth Eide, on the sidelines of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, and discussed several issues of mutual interest.

The meeting follows the 5th India-Norway Task Force meeting on Blue Economy last week in New Delhi between Norwegian Ambassador to India Hans Jacob Frydenlund and Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M Ravichandran. The Task Force Meeting agreed on new projects and a roadmap for connecting both sides' ocean industries. Both countries agreed to expand their collaboration in areas such as green maritime, sustainable ocean management, deep ocean technology, and offshore wind.

Dr. Jitendra Singh and Espen Barth Eide expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the fifth India-Norway Task Force meeting. The two parties also discussed the dialogue and progress on issues such as Integrated Ocean Management (IOM), marine pollution, green shipping, ocean-based renewable energy, and so on.

The two Ministers praised the two countries' ongoing close cooperation and hoped that the partnership would continue to grow in the future.

Dr. Jitendra Singh referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Copenhagen last month on the sidelines of the 2nd India Nordic Summit, during which Modi stated that Norway's skills and India's scope provided natural complementarities.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the potential for deeper engagement in areas such as Blue Economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, green shipping, fisheries, water management, rainwater harvesting, space cooperation, and long-term infrastructure investment, health, and culture.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also mentioned a pilot project agreed upon in January this year between the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP) to improve undergraduate students' interdisciplinary skills, digital literacy, and critical thinking. With the growing demand for new technologies and innovative solutions in the maritime sector, the Indian Minister emphasised the importance of these skills.