2022 UN Climate Change Conference

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) at COP27

The Ocean Decade will host a series of events at COP27 that will focus on the need and methods for diverse actors to collectively work across the science – policy – society to ensure that ocean science leads to tangible and sustainable climate action. Specific themes to be addressed through the Ocean Decade events include: (i) climate action in Africa, (ii) resilience including the role of nature-based solutions, (iii) financing for ocean science for climate action, and (iv) communicating ocean science for climate action.

All events will align with the priorities of the Egyptian Presidency of COP27 related to adaptation, mitigation, financing and collaboration, and the key messages of the Ocean Climate Dialogue held in June 2022.

Events will showcase existing Decade Actions working at the global, regional and national levels, and engage representatives of key Decade structures including the Ocean Decade Alliance and Decade Advisory Board.

✨Download information on the Ocean Decade’s work on the ocean – climate nexus at COP27 and beyond.

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The Ocean Decade is honored to be a partner of the Ocean Pavilion and the Ocean x Climate Summit! Discover more details of the programmes of these two groundbreaking initiatives at COP!

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We are also present through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion!?

Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap

Tuesday, 8 November 2022 ⏰ 12:00 - 13:30 EGY ? Ocean Pavilion ? Blue Zone

This event will amplify the visibility of the Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap that has been produced during a multi-year participatory process with hundreds of stakeholders across the continent. The Roadmap identifies nine priority actions for ocean science in Africa and discusses the resources, capacity and partnerships needed to ensure its successful implementation.

This hour long event in the first ever Ocean Pavilion at a UNFCCC COP will focus on raising visibility of the importance of the Ocean Decade in Africa. It will explore innovative solutions in the context the Roadmap to ensure that ocean science can be effectively generated and used for climate action.

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This event is organized in partnership with the Egyptian National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF).

?️ Watch the recording of the event below!

Ocean Knowledge for Climate Resilience

Tuesday, 8 November 2022 ⏰ 14:30 - 15:30 EGY ? Bellona Pavilion ? Blue Zone

Healthy coastal and marine ecosystems have a vital role to play in climate mitigation and adaptation, particularly in vulnerable regions across Africa and SIDS. When used in conjunction with other resilience solutions, sustainable restoration and management of marine and ocean ecosystems will allow them to contribute to resilience objectives, and also generate significant social, ecological and economic co-benefits. This event will look at the factors hindering the ability of ecosystems to fully play their role in climate adaptation and mitigation. It will explore the role of multi-partner initiatives and frameworks to address these gaps at different scales.

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This event is organized in partnership with The Research Council of Norway and UNEP.

Communicating Ocean Science for Climate Action

Wednesday, 9 November 2022 ⏰ 15:45 - 16:45 EGY ? UNESCO Pavilion ? Green Zone

Despite the indisputable importance of the role of the ocean in climate adaptation and mitigation, the ocean science community has faced challenges in its attempts to effectively communicate critical aspects of the ocean-climate nexus to diverse audiences. This event will allow sharing of experience between the ocean and climate science communicator communities, with the aim of identifying best practices and pitfalls to avoid, thus accelerating thinking and tools that can be used to communicate ocean science for climate action.

This event is organized in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Comms Inc.

Ocean Science for Climate Action in the framework of the Ocean Decade

Thursday, 10 November 2022 ⏰ From 10:30 EGY ? Ocean Pavilion ? Blue Zone

Key conclusions of the first Ocean Climate Dialogue held in June 2022 included strong recognition of the fact that a whole of society approach is needed for ocean-climate action and governance, and that available science and knowledge need to be used and improved to achieve action. This event will provide a space for discussion of the importance of the science-policy-society interface to translate ocean science into effective climate action. It will explore key gaps and challenges and provide examples of innovative solutions that are underway via the Ocean Decade.

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?️ Watch the recording of the event below!

Leveraging the Ocean Decade to build the next generation of Ocean Professionals

Thursday, 10 November 2022 ⏰ 13:30 - 15:00 EGY ? Ocean Pavilion ? Blue Zone

In order to ensure both the impact to 2030 and the post-2030 legacy of the Ocean Decade, it is necessary to engage and build capacity of upcoming generations of ocean professionals, including those in least developed countries with limited access to global networks and opportunities. This event will draw on past experiences of diverse partners, examine conditions of success to build ocean leadership, and provide space for a dialogue on future options to effectively invest in priority areas for human resource development to ensure a genuine and sustained step-change in capacity development opportunities for Early Career Ocean Professionals.

This event is organized in partnership with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

?️ Watch the recording of the event below!

Financing Ocean Science for Climate Action in the framework of the Ocean Decade

Saturday, 12 November 2022 ⏰ 16:30 - 17:45 EGY ? Moroccan Pavilion ? Blue Zone

A key focus of COP27 will be on tangible actions, partnerships and initiatives – including financing – to implement the commitments made by parties to the UNFCCC with a specific focus on the needs of Africa and Small Island Developing States. This event will explore the challenges faced in financing and supporting ocean science for climate action, with a focus on Africa, and present examples and experience in innovative and diverse financing and resource mobilisation approaches that could be adapted for implementation by diverse partners in Africa in the context of the Ocean Decade.

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This event is organized in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.

The power of inter-agency cooperation to scale up ocean-climate action: Case studies, challenges and opportunities

Saturday, 12 November 2022 ⏰ 18:30 - 20:00 EGY ? Side Event Room 3 ? Blue Zone

This side event will provide a platform for world experts engaged with UN-Oceans to showcase ambitious science-based initiatives for ocean-climate action that are accessible, replicable, scalable and sustainable. It will also provide an opportunity to engage policymakers and understand opportunities to strengthen future action.

This event is organized in partnership with UN Oceans, UN-DOALOS, IOC-UNESCO, UNFCCC and UNEP. 

?️ Watch the recording of the event below!

Deep Ocean, the Decade, and Climate Change: Mitigation, Impacts, Adaptation, and Interventions

Thursday, 17 November 2022 ⏰ 09:00 - 10:15 EGY ? Ocean Pavilion ? Blue Zone

This event will highlight the Ocean Decade programmes focused on the deep ocean and their link to understanding and addressing climate change. The Deep Ocean Observing Strategy (DOOS), Challenger 150, JETZON, and One Ocean Network for Deep Observation will be represented. Participants will discuss natural mitigation roles of the deep ocean; impacts on deep ecosystems of warming; acidification; deoxygenation and much more!

?️ Watch the recording of the event below!