The First Global Summit on Bioeconomy in East Africa: Towards Sustainable Bioeconomic Solutions.

Under the motto "One Planet - Sustainable Bioeconomic Solutions for Global Challenges", the first Global Bioeconomy Summit in East Africa took place. The official part of the event was held on October 23-24, 2024, in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi.

This event, held every two years, gathers experts in the field of bioeconomy from around the world and serves as a platform for discussing the latest achievements in sustainable bioeconomy and modern biotechnologies. It facilitates the exchange of experiences and opinions, contributing to identifying opportunities for global innovations and collaboration.

This time, over 500 participants from different countries representing various organizations took part in the Summit: from governmental and scientific to commercial and public ones.

The Summit's program was rich and diverse, designed in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The program included plenary sessions, over 20 parallel seminars, and an exhibition area.

Participants discussed the development of sustainable agri-food systems, biodiversity conservation, and the creation of modern bioindustries, as well as measures to counter climate change. Issues of shared responsibility and the development of joint platforms for shaping the global bioeconomy were addressed. Special attention was paid to creating a "green" agenda at the regional level, especially in African, Latin American, and Asian countries.

Prior to the Summit, on October 21, the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) held a meeting, which is the initiator and organizer of the Bioeconomy Summits. At present, this independent analytical center comprises 37 leaders and experts in the field of bioeconomy from around the world. The representative of the Russian Federation in the Council is Academician Vladimir Popov, the scientific director of the Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

During the meeting, Vladimir shared information with the participants about the recently launched National Bioeconomy Project in Russia, which will start its implementation in April next year. He also noted that the country's leadership pays great attention to modern biotechnologies and bioeconomy in general. Additionally, he informed the Council members about the planned events related to the launch of the national project and invited them to participate.

At the meeting of the International Advisory Council, a Communique was adopted, reflecting the global vision of the development and importance of bioeconomy. The document states that "bioeconomy opens a new era in which the planet is considered as an interconnected space for all people, animals, plants, and microorganisms, with respect to their habitat and with the aim of its conservation or restoration".

Furthermore, the term "bioeconomy" in the document is defined as "the production, use, preservation, and restoration of biological resources, as well as the associated knowledge, scientific disciplines, technologies, and innovations that provide sustainable solutions (information, products, processes, and services) in all sectors of the economy and contribute to the transition to a sustainable economy". It emphasizes that the definition of bioeconomy is not static and may change as it develops.

The Communique outlines five key global recommendations for the development of bioeconomy. It suggests implementing bioeconomy strategies into economic policies, establishing global partnerships in the field of bioeconomy, promoting the creation of standards, supporting regional and local initiatives, and adding a course on the basics of bioeconomy to educational programs at all levels.

It was also decided to hold the next Global Bioeconomy Summit in Ireland in 2026.

It is worth noting that the entire year 2024 is dedicated to bioeconomy. In addition to the Global Bioeconomy Summit held in Nairobi, Brazil has also dedicated its G20 presidency to issues of bioeconomy and sustainable development. This theme will be continued in the G20 in 2025 during the presidency of South Africa, underscoring the importance of the discussed issues for the future global development.