News

Paris/Barcelona, 1 November 2023 – As the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, Spain, draws nearer the Conference organizers have today announced the launch of a call for oral presentations and a call for posters. Take this opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to science-driven ocean solutions to the existing and future challenges facing the ocean and humankind!

These calls follow the closure of the call for Satellite Events on 30 October which received an overwhelming response. The Conference organizers will be working closely with the Programme Committee in coming months to evaluate the hundreds of applications that were received, and more information will be provided in December 2023.

Hosted by Spain and co-organized with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) in its role as the coordinating agency of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will take place on 10-12 April 2024, the culmination of an Ocean Decade Week running from 8-12 April in the coastal city of Barcelona.

This three-day, in-person event will be a key moment for a wide range of stakeholders to take stock of the achievements of the first three years of the Ocean Decade and formulate a shared vision for the years ahead. The applicants selected under these parallel calls will be given space to illustrate their contribution to achieving ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’.

Call for posters

To illustrate the global impact of ocean actions, the Ocean Decade is welcoming submissions that highlight initiatives, projects, organizations, or groups with demonstrated connection or relevance to the 10 Ocean Decade Challenges, and that enhance cooperation and collaboration within the Ocean Decade. Particular attention will be given to innovative posters that effectively showcase initiatives dedicated to bridging across disciplines, sectors, and thematic areas while also promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. Posters will be displayed in the Banquet Hall of the main conference venue, the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB), for the entire duration of the Conference from 10-12 April 2024. Oral poster sessions will be scheduled during lunch breaks.

To apply for a poster, applicants must complete all relevant sections of this form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/poster_2024

To learn more about the call for posters, please click here to read the guidance note.

Call for oral presentations

As a complement to the main programme of the Conference – articulated around four thematic sessions based on groupings of the Challenges – the Ocean Decade is providing partners with the opportunity to present their activities through oral presentations. Highlighting transformative and science-based solutions, the five-minute presentations should demonstrate how the initiatives address critical gaps to meet the Challenges and resonate with the vision and mission of the Decade.

The Ocean Decade strongly encourages presentations that place the process of inter- and transdisciplinary co-design and co-delivery of ocean science in the center of their narrative. Remaining a high priority for the Ocean Decade, presentations from Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) and representatives from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are also highly welcome.

To apply for an oral presentation, applicants must complete all relevant sections of this form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/presentation-2024

To learn more about the call for oral presentations, please click here to read the guidance note.

Applications for the two calls must be submitted before 23.59h CET on 1 December 2023.

For additional information or queries about the calls, please contact oceandecade@unesco.org and include “2024 Ocean Decade Conference” in the subject line.

Communications contacts:

General contact

Ocean Decade

About the Ocean Decade:

Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘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 UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.

About IOC/UNESCO:

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 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.