The Director, BOBP-IGO participated in the International Conference on Security and Prosperity in the Bay of Bengal held in Kochi, India from 29 November to 01 December 2022. The onference was organized by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi, and supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, New Delhi. Diplomats, Government officials, academicians, experts, and international media personalities from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Bhutan, and Germany attended. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Krishnan said that the region's fishery is dominated by a large but impoverished artisanal sector. According to him, marine fisheries in BoB generate between 9 and 10 billion dollars in revenue annually and a significant part of it comes from the artisanal sector. Moreover, the revenue generated by the artisanal sector boosts the local economy and contributes to nutritional security. Therefore, discussions about the blue economy should now center on how to protect the interests of small-scale farmers and fishers as well as how to guarantee women's economic freedom. Conflicts over space and dwindling fish stocks should be taken into account.
