11 July 2012: The latest issue of Global Island Partnership’s (GLISPA) “Event Spotlight” features an event that was convened on 20 June 2012, on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), titled “Securing the island future we want: Enabling steps to achieving a green blue economy at regional scale.”

According to GLISPA, key messages emerging from the event included: for islands, issues of health, energy, land and oceans cannot be separated, but must be addressed together; there must be cooperation at all levels, from the donor level to the village level; emerging political leadership is critical; the Micronesian, Caribbean, and emerging Western Indian Ocean Challenges for conservation are effective mechanisms for regional cooperation and collaboration; debt for climate adaptation swaps is an innovative mechanism to finance a green and blue economy; and islands are leading moves toward a green and blue economy and will continue to build on successes. [GLISPA Event Spotlight]