Beyond the Shoreline - Towards a Blue and Resilient Future for Tunisia

The Tunisian economy’s challenging past decade has highlighted the pressing need for a sustainable and resilient development model. The nation’s strategic response, encapsulated in Vision Tunisia 2035 and the 2023–2025 National Development Plan, emphasizes a green and blue economy that focuses on sectors such as tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime transport as key drivers for recovery and long-term sustainability. Environmental threats such as resource overexploitation, coastal erosion, marine submersion, and pollution - in particular plastic pollution pose significant risks to these critical economic sectors, especially when exacerbated by climate change. To address these challenges, proactive investments in sustainable practices within key sectors can enhance Tunisia’s global market competitiveness, reduce fiscal pressures, and foster innovative growth and job opportunities. The World Bank has been critical in supporting Tunisia’s effort to chart the path towards harnessing the potential of the blue economy. Starting with a comprehensive diagnostic in 2021–2022, the collaboration has led to the development of a strategic roadmap focusing on policy and institutional analysis, public expenditure review, exploration of innovative financing, and critical sectoral analyses to unlock the potential of the key sectors while protecting the environment. Extensive stakeholder consultations have shaped the roadmap, which emphasizes sustainable growth, environmental conservation, and resilient coastal communities. The roadmap addresses key sectors through the three pillars of the blue economy development framework: (i) data, analysis, and dissemination; (ii) policy, institutional, and fiscal reforms; and (iii) fostering investment.