More inclusive initiatives and cooperation among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are vital for ensuring a sustainable blue economy in the region, a forum heard on Monday.

"We must ensure that the blue economy remains fundamentally about people," Philippine Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty said at the opening of the 4th ASEAN Blue Economy Forum.

Gepty said that coastal communities must benefit from new economic opportunities and, as such, any innovation must reach the communities that need it most.

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The hybrid event, which runs through Tuesday, is being held in Manila. The Philippines is this year's rotating chair of ASEAN and also serves as chair of the ASEAN Coordinating Task Force on Blue Economy.

The event serves as a high-level regional platform to advance policy dialogue on the 2026-2030 ASEAN Blue Economy Implementation Plan — a road map that positions oceans, seas, and freshwater resources as engines of inclusive and sustainable growth.

Retno Marsudi, the United Nations' special envoy on water and a former Indonesian foreign minister, said the blue economy agenda is "more than an economic agenda, it is a demonstration of what effective multilateralism can deliver for people, prosperity, and planet".

She said inclusion should not mean consulting communities or stakeholders after policies have been designed. Communities must be involved in designing and implementing the policies, and ultimately benefit from the policies.

The interests of the people "should always be the priority", Marsudi said.

Zhang Nianshan, director general at the Southeast Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank, said that the blue economy sustains millions of livelihoods, supports food security, and preserves the cultural identity of different communities across ASEAN.

But these natural assets, he said, are facing growing pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and other disasters.

Shared vision

Zhang said the implementation plan marks an important transition from a shared regional vision to coordinated action and noted priorities that can help accelerate this transition.

The region must first build a strong pipeline of sustainable and bankable blue economy projects, he said, also calling for "practical and resource-oriented" regional cooperation and integration.

Zhang said success cannot be measured only by the value of investment mobilized or infrastructure constructed. It must also be measured through more resilient coastal communities, better access to finance and markets for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, as well as decent job opportunities for women and young people.

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Aimee Gonzales, executive director of the Manila-based Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, noted that a blue economy that boosts national GDP while displacing coastal fisherfolk is not a sustainable blue economy.

"Macro indicators mean nothing to a coastal community if their local waters are depleted and their lands are inundated by sea level rise," Gonzales said.

She said it's important to protect and formalize livelihoods because over 80 percent of regional fishers operate in small-scale informal fisheries. Targeted microfinance, leadership programs and legal protection can empower women who are systematically excluded from financial access and leadership roles.

Contact the writers at prime@chinadailyapac.com