Day 2 - Tuesday, September 19, 2023
8:00–9:00 AM
Breakfast and Registration
9:00–9:45 AM
High Level Roundtable: Maritime Security and Seabed Mining*
The transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy has increased demand for mining of precious metals and resources. At the center is the prospect of seabed mining to extract minerals from the ocean floor. As island nations are at an impasse, weighing the projected impacts, costs, and opportunities, what lies ahead for seabed mining in terms of governance, regulations, and impact to the states and the region at large?
- Elisabetta Menini, PhD Candidate, Duke University
- Teburoro Tito, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Republic of Kiribati
- Moderator: Satyendra Prasad, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Republic of Fiji
9:45–10:00 AM
Coffee Break
10:00–11:00 AM
High Level Roundtable: Islands and Digital Transformation*
For many countries, the promise of government and economic transformation through digitalization is tempered by a growing list of cyber, informational, and data-related hazards. For island nations, these are compounded by connectivity difficulties along with increasingly attendant geopolitical pressures. This discussion will address the prospects and challenges of digitalization from the perspective of small island nations, as well as the range of capacities needed to meet their distinct priorities and contexts.
- Tomoyuki Hirata, Chief Representative, Washington D.C., Japan Bank for International Cooperation
- Viliami Va’inga Tone, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Kingdom of Tonga
- Michael Schiffer, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Moderator: Elina Noor, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
11:00–11:15 AM
Coffee Break
11:15 AM–12:00 PM
High Level Roundtable: Blue Economy and Climate Action*
The blue economy is a critical sector for economic growth for small island nations, which rely on the development of a sustainable ocean economy. As climate change poses pressing existential challenges for island states, what can nations do to build their blue economy? And what climate action must take place to mitigate climate fallout and ensure regional resilience?
- Atsushi Watanabe, Senior Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation
- Satyendra Prasad, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Republic of Fiji
- Alison Clausen, Deputy Coordinator of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development at IOC-UNESCO
- Moderator: Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
12:00–1:00 PM
Lunch
*Indicates a closed-door program. To apply for consideration, please indicate your interest in the roundtable programming on the registration form and we will be in touch once decisions have been made.*
