The participants of the Blue Solutions Fair included members from non-governmental organisations, national and local government institutions and private companies. Everyone shared a willingness to learn from each other and the common goal to think and work in a solution-oriented manner. The best conditions for a successful Blue Solutions Fair!

The event offered several interactive and participatory working sessions. The exchange of personal knowledge and experience accelerated the creation of new and further development of already existing blue solutions. The ‘Needs- and Offer-Board’ ensured that everyone found their matching partners with whom to talk and exchange ideas. Moreover, we introduced the participants to the PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet initiative and especially to the corresponding web platform to familiarise them with existing solutions and building blocks and to enhance the remote knowledge exchange via internet.

For IUCN, the event provided an opportunity to gather first-hand experience on how deliberate replication of existing solutions and their components can be supported through an event – learnings from the event will feed into the further development of the PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet partnership, which IUCN co-coordinates with GIZ.

Thanks to the commitment of all participants, the event concluded with creative and inspiring three-minute pitches presented by 16 teams that came up with new solution designs. Our winners: Malaysia, Myanmar and Kiribati!

In sum, the Blue Solutions Fair successfully fostered the solution-based approach and highlighted once again that there already exist many blue solutions out there which can be replicated. The Blue Solutions Team looks forward to stay in touch with all the participants and to follow-up on the future outcomes of the Blue Solutions Fair!

Pitching new solutions! (Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu and Robite Teaete, Ministry of Environment, Lands & Agricultural Development, Kiribati) Photo: Blue Solutions