Group photo of participants at the event.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation’s Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future has launched The Blue Economies for Coastal Resilience (BEFCR) program in a partnership with MENA Oceans initiative by Goumbook. This strategic initiative was unveiled at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco on June 7, 2025, in the lead-up to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is taking place in France from June 9 to 13, 2025.
BEFCR is the first initiative of its kind in the region and aims to accelerate regenerative blue economies, strengthen climate resilience in coastal cities, protect marine biodiversity, and unlock investment in ocean infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The program’s first phase, running from June 2025 to January 2026, will deliver a strategic landscape assessment of key blue economy sectors in MENA. The outcome will be a regional roadmap that supports infrastructure resilience, ocean health, and economic growth in coastal cities.
The BEFCR program reflects Earthna’s broader commitment to sustainable development and environmental resilience. “The launch of the BEFCR Program reflects our shared conviction at Earthna that climate resilience in MENA’s coastal cities must be rooted in both science and innovation. By aligning economic growth with ecosystem regeneration, we are paving new pathways for sustainable prosperity across the region,” CEO, Earthna, Qatar Foundation, Dr. Gonzalo Castro de la Mata said.
BEFCR will focus on six key sectors - maritime transport, coastal tourism, offshore energy, fisheries, desalination, and coastal development. The initiative seeks to foster cross-sectoral collaboration, identify investment gaps, enhance coastal protection, and promote nature-based and hybrid infrastructure solutions.
Earthna will co-lead Phase 1 of the program, including the production of the Blue Economies for Coastal Resilience Outlook Report, to be released at the 3rd MENA Oceans Summit in late 2025.
The program emerged as a flagship outcome of the MENA Blue Finance Leadership Think Tank, convened at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum by MENA Oceans in partnership with the UN Climate Champions Team.
