(29 August 2023, Madagascar) The Philippines participated in the 8th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Archipelagic Island States (AIS) Forum held today in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The 8th SOM AIS Forum was attended by senior officials from twenty-three (23) countries.

Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Gina Jamoralin, delivered remarks which highlighted the actions and measures that the Philippines has undertaken under the four (4) AIS themes namely: climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster management; blue economy; and good maritime governance. 

Amb. Jamoralin also expressed support for the AIS Forum's Blue Startup Hub  which promotes entrepreneurship opportunities for “bluepreneurs” to offer solutions to problems of marine ecosystem and blue economy and scholarships to deserving students from AIS states.

< class="mce-object mce-object-undefined">

The Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum is a platform designed to include island states and archipelagic countries regardless of their region, size, and development level. The forum brings together fifty-one (51) archipelagic and island nations to take part in a collective meeting that addresses challenges of ocean resource usage for sustainable economic growth, climate change resiliency, ocean pollution, emergency management, and the enhancement of sustainable fisheries. END