Between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2027, the new Decade Advisory Board will guide the implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’), steering its strategic direction in line with the Vision 2030 process, the Barcelona Statement, and the recommendations of an independent Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE).
Meet the Decade Advisory Board members
Serving as a multi-stakeholder advisory body, the Decade Advisory Board provides strategic guidance to the Secretariat and Governing Bodies of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO in coordinating the Ocean Decade. Selected from almost 200 nominations, the new Board brings together 10 newly appointed ocean experts, alongside five members continuing into a second term. In line with a key recommendation of the Mid-Term Evaluation to “strengthen UN system-wide collaboration and alignment to support the achievement of the Decade’s outcomes and reinforce its identity as a collective UN initiative, enhancing its global reach and impact,” the Board also includes representatives from several members of UN-Oceans, an inter-agency cooperation mechanism within the UN system. It is co-chaired by Dr Michelle Heupel, Director of Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System, and Dr Donovan Campbell, Professor of Environmental Geography at the University of the West Indies.
“The biennial renewal of the Board ensures that new perspectives and voices continue to shape the Ocean Decade, enabling it to remain agile and adaptive to emerging needs,” said Vidar Helgesen, IOC Executive Secretary. “At this pivotal moment in the Decade as we build up to the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference that will be hosted by Brazil, we warmly welcome the incoming cohort and extend our sincere thanks to outgoing Board members, whose dedication and expertise have built a strong foundation for the journey ahead.”
The new members bring invaluable experience across the Ocean Decade’s priority action areas, spanning sustainable ocean investment, engagement of Small Island Developing States, science-policy integration, and Indigenous leadership. The selection process of members was also driven by a commitment to gender and generational diversity, and the 15 members represent over a dozen countries.
To advance the implementation of the Ocean Decade, the Board will provide expert advice on strengthening the Decade’s overall impact, refining governance models and approaches to resource mobilization, and reinforcing collaboration across the UN system. The members will also support the endorsement of Decade Actions, further embed the Decade in science-policy dialogue, and increase the engagement of underrepresented groups and regions.
The Decade Advisory Board will hold its first online meeting of the new membership in January 2026, and first annual in-person meeting on 10-12 February 2026 to be hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at its Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Meet the Decade Advisory Board members
For more information, please contact:
Ocean Decade Communications Team (oceandecade.comms@unesco.org)
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About the Ocean Decade:
Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the Ocean Decade seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.
About the IOC:
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 152 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.