International meet on ocean economy, future technology next year

Muscat, Oct 2 - The Sultanate will host a conference on ‘Ocean Economy and Future Technology’ early next year as part of International Forum for Science and Technology Diplomacy. In a press conference held on Tuesday, the conference’s main committee said the event, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be held from February 11 to 13, 2019, at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). A total of 32 countries are likely to take part. Dr Hamed bin Said al Aufi, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, said the conference aims at exploring the economic opportunities in oceans and seas, the role played by technology in enhancing the return of ocean economy to the global economy in general and the domestic economy in particular. “Businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from the increased investment and international experiences showcased at the conference.” The conference aims at highlighting opportunities in Oman’s seas and discussing a mechanism for international cooperation to further support the national capacities for building an ocean economy. “The science policy interface aims to conjoin international efforts leading to the exchange, evolution and development of knowledge. The contribution of ocean economy to the GDP is 80 per cent in some countries,” Dr Yousuf al Bulushi, Director, Transfer of Science, Knowledge and Technology Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. The conference focuses on six main themes: commercial aquaculture & fisheries, ocean energy, logistics & ocean transportation, ocean mining, and production & storage of energy extracted from ocean surface and deep ocean. The conference will see a number of events, including an industries & technology exhibition, a workshop on Science-Policy Interface (SPI) and a meeting of Foreign Ministers’ Advisers for Science and Technology Network (FMASTN). Zainab al Nassri