On 31 August 2020, COL and the University of Seychelles (UniSey) will be launching The Blue Economy: Creating an Enabling Environment. This five-week MOOC is open to persons from all walks of life interested in the Blue Economy and Blue Growth. The second MOOC in a series of four, this course introduces participants to the key components that build a strong foundation for a sustainable blue economy: Ocean Governance, Integrated Ocean Management, Ocean Finance and Knowledge Co-Production. Participants will leave the course with a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Blue Economy, human rights and gender equality.

“Whether you live in a landlocked or coastal nation, the benefits of developing and maintaining a sustainable Blue Economy for your country are significant,” says Kelly Hoareau, Director of the James Michel Blue Economy Research Institute at UniSey and lead facilitator for the course. “With so many people from diverse backgrounds and so many countries and island nations, there seems to be something for everyone to learn, not only from the materials but also from each other.”

Dr Mairette Newman, Education Specialist for the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) points to knowledge co-creation as one of the hallmarks in the second MOOC. She explains, “If we are to drive innovative thinking about how we engage with the ocean, then we must provide spaces like this MOOC for persons from across nations and disciplines to share their indigenous knowledge and understandings; in so doing, they are drawing on their collective wisdom to produce new knowledge, develop capacity and build networks.”

To sign up for the new MOOC, please go to https://bit.ly/2PN1Lkp