Join us for a dedicated session presenting the ocean economy, based on an analysis of available databases, including those of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the trade of ocean goods and services, the only global dataset specifically devoted to the trade of ocean-related goods and services, including seafood, tourism, and other essential elements of the blue economy, as well as on maritime transport, providing detailed insights about the volumes and values shipped over the oceans for international trade. As nations strive to develop sustainable ocean-based food systems and strengthen their participation in international trade, access to reliable and detailed trade data is crucial.
This session provides participants with a practical overview of how these databases can support the development of evidence-based policies and trade strategies aimed at promoting resilient, sustainable, and inclusive ocean food economies.
What you will learn:
- Database overview: Discover the latest data on trade in ocean goods and services, including trade volumes, market trends and key products of the blue economy.
- Importance of disaggregated data: Understand how detailed data can help identify opportunities and challenges specific to each sector of the ocean economy.
- Support for policy development: Learn how to use this data to formulate effective policies and business strategies that promote sustainability and inclusiveness.
Speakers:
Moderator:
- Mr. David Vivas Eugui, Chief (a.i.) Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, UNCTAD
Panelists:
- Mr. Onno Hoffmeister, Chief, Statistics Production Unit, Statistics Service, UNCTAD
- Mr. Ludovic Arnaud, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD
David Vivas Eugui is Chief of Ocean and Circular Economy Unit, a.i., Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, at UNCTAD.
Previously, he was a Senior Economic Affairs Officer in UNCTAD’s Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, Deputy Programmes Director at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Attaché for Legal Affairs at the Mission of Venezuela to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Staff Attorney at the Venezuelan Institute of Foreign Trade. David is an international expert with more than 20 years of experience on legal and economic issues.
He has worked as an advisor and consultant for various institutions, international and national organizations and has lectured on intellectual property, trade, oceans economy and environmental law at the University of Strasbourg (CEIPI), Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), Maastricht University (the Netherlands), WIPO Distant Learning Academy, and University of Business and International Studies (Switzerland).
He holds a JD from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, an LLM from Georgetown University and a Master in Transnational Business from the Universidad Externado de Colombia.
Onno Hoffmeister joined the UN Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) Statistics Service in 2015.
He previously worked as statistician at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation (FAO) and Eurostat and as researcher at the University of Hamburg and the German Institute for Economic Research. He was engaged as consultant for the GIZ and the German Federal Ministry of Economics in capacity building ("twinning") projects of the European Commission.
In 2024, he led UNCTAD's comprehensive assessment of the impact of mid-term IMO GHG reduction measures on States and in 2023 the development of the UNCTAD - World Bank Trade-and-Transport Dataset. He coordinated the statistical work behind many of UNCTADs online datasets including on ocean trade and maritime transport.
He holds a PhD in Economics from the European University Viadrina and has 25 years of experience in statistics, economic analysis and capacity building. He published in the Journal of Shipping and Trade, the Statistical Journal of the IAOS, Agricultural Economics, the Review of Income and Wealth and other peer-reviewed journals. He is member of the UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics, the International Association for Official Statistics, and the German Association for Social Policy.
Ludovic Arnaud is an Associate Economic Affairs Officer in the Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch of UNCTAD, focusing on ocean economic data and analysis. He previously worked on supporting UNCTAD in its development of databases on trade in ocean goods and services and trade in biodiversity-based products, as well as on the organisation of the informal Working Group on trade and biodiversity statistics and the 5th UN Ocean Forum.
He holds a PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford, focused on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and a Master’s from the University of Cambridge.
His research has been published in New Political Economy, World Politics Review, and Oxford Analytica. His upcoming book, ‘Hostile Trade Renegotiation: The Paradox of USMCA’ will be published with Georgetown University Press.
