{"id":531,"date":"2017-11-08T11:25:02","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T15:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projects.upei.ca\/unescochair\/?page_id=531"},"modified":"2021-04-07T18:36:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T21:36:11","slug":"1st-international-conference-on-island-economies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.upei.ca\/unescochair\/1st-international-conference-on-island-economies\/","title":{"rendered":"1st International Conference on Island Economies"},"content":{"rendered":"

1st International Conference on Island Economic Change and Development<\/strong>
\nNovember 14-15, 2017<\/strong>
\nHaikou, Hainan Island, P.R. of China
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Co-organized by the Hainan Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office; Institute of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island; University of Malta; UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability
\n<\/strong>
\nPROGRAM<\/a> | INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER BIOS<\/a> | CHINESE SPEAKER BIOS<\/a>
\nABSTRACTS
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

ISLAND ECONOMIES VIDEO SERIES, featuring conference speakers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

The purpose of this conference was to bring a small group of well-respected international scholars to Haikou, Hainan, to speak on cutting-edge research pertaining to island economic change and development, especially as this applies to subnational island jurisdictions like Hainan. The Hainan government has shown that they are serious and committed to building knowledge and sharing that knowledge in order to better understand islands and islanders. This was reflected in the Boao Forum<\/a>, held in March 2017, where global island leaders and experts were invited to talk about the challenges and accomplishments facing their islands. This conference represents another important element of this strategy to build capacity and knowledge.<\/p>\n

However, this is not just about building internal capacity in China. With the bringing together of international and Chinese scholars in this two-day conference, there was an explicit recognition of the role that Chinese scholars can play in developing a better understanding of the issues surrounding the topic of island economic change and development. The sharing of knowledge from both sides, together with an audience of\u00a050-60 Chinese and Hainan scholars, government staff and researchers who actively participated in this event, resulted in two days of rich dialogue, translating examples from other islands around the world into cases that may have relevance to China, and building on the intellectual capacity and international professional networks of Chinese government staff, scholars and their institutions in island studies and related fields. As a result, in coming together to discuss matters of paramount concern to ALL islanders, we built relationships, trust and friendships that will carry on long after the end of this conference.<\/p>\n

\"\"Outcomes<\/strong>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hainan Statement on Island Economies: What Must Be Done<\/a><\/p>\n

At the end of the two days, conference delegates drafted a statement that affirmed next steps. They include:<\/p>\n