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Join us in Barcelona to build the Ocean Decade roadmap to 2030 for the ocean we want

Paris/Barcelona, 8 June 2023 – With 10 months to go, the launch of the pre-registration process and call for Satellite Events marks an important milestone towards the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona.

Focused on ‘delivering the science we need for the ocean we want’, the Conference will take place over three days from 10 to 12 April at the Barcelona International Convention Centre and will be part of an entire Ocean Decade Week that will take place throughout Barcelona from 8 to 12 April 2024. As a coastal city with a major commitment towards the blue economy as a driver of competitiveness and job creation, Barcelona is the perfect place to hold an event such as this one focused on ocean science, sustainability and innovation.

Hosted by Spain and co-organized with UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO), this international event will bring together various actors, including governments, decision-makers, maritime sectors, philanthropy, academia, the private sector, and civil society. All these voices will engage in a constructive dialogue around progress and joint priorities for the future of the Ocean Decade and continued success of ocean sustainability efforts, across the science – policy – society interface. It will be a 3-day, in-person event co-led with a range of partners: Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council through the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, and the Spanish National Ocean Decade Committee, which is led by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Spanish Research Council (CSIC).

About the programme

Based around the 10 Ocean Decade Challenges, the Conference will be collaborative, inclusive, and interactive in nature to offer participants time and space for learning, networking and building partnerships.

It will provide a forum to discuss the results of the Ocean Decade Vision 2030 strategic ambition setting process around the Decade Challenges, and its related set of white papers. These papers will identify future priorities for the Ocean Decade to generate the knowledge needed for science-based solutions to global challenges such as climate change, food security, biodiversity conservation, sustainable ocean economy, pollution, and natural hazards.

The Conference will be structured around three key moments:

• The high-level opening session (10 April in the morning) will feature commitments and announcements by Heads of State, leaders of UN agencies, and representatives of industry and philanthropy, as well as a plenary discussion on foundational elements of success for the Ocean Decade.
• The main part of Conference will be articulated around four thematic sessions based on groupings of the Ocean Decade Challenges, with a mix of plenary and parallel sessions to present the results of the Vision 2030 process and showcase science solutions that are contributing to sustainable development.
• The high-level closing session (12 April in the afternoon) will focus on resources and partnerships in the Ocean Decade as well as provide a platform for partner announcements. The closing segment will report the main outcomes of the Conference and a vision to 2030 for the Ocean Decade.

For more details about the programme of the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, please click here.

Take part in the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference

Pre-register today!

Registration for the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will take place in two steps:

• Pre-registration which took place from 8 June to 30 October 2023.
• Full registration which will take place by the end of December 2023.

There are no registration fees to participate in the Conference; however, at the time of full registration, participants will be kindly asked to make a modest financial contribution to a travel fund to support travel for selected participants from Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries and Early Career Ocean Professionals. This contribution will not be compulsory but will be greatly appreciated and will help ensure that no one is left behind in the Ocean Decade!

To pre-register for the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, please click here.

Deadline for pre-registration is 30 October 2023.

Submit your activity as a Satellite Event

To complement the formal programme and contribute concretely to the Conference outcomes, interested parties are invited to propose, organize, and lead Satellite Events prior to and during the Conference.

On-site Satellite Events will take place at the Conference venue on 10-11-12 April 2024 during the lunch break of the Conference, while off-site Satellite Events will be organized in a variety of locations around Barcelona starting from 8 April. From workshops and symposiums to dinners and art exhibitions, these partner-led and partner-resourced events can take various forms.

To learn more about Satellite Events and to submit your application, please click here.

Deadline for submission is 30 October 2023.

Get a booth and/or become a sponsor

To provide partners with the opportunity to present their activities, foster knowledge-sharing and strengthen collaboration, a small number of booths will be available at the Conference venue.

To learn more about the logistics and costs of booths, please click here.

We are also inviting prospective sponsors to contribute to the success of the Conference by supporting essential components, including catering services, livestreaming of key sessions and travel support.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

Posters and oral presentations

We are inviting submissions of Posters focused on initiatives, projects, organizations, or groups that work to contribute to the fulfillment of the Ocean Decade Challenges and enhance cooperation and collaboration within the Ocean Decade.

To learn more about the call for posters, please click here.

Deadline for submission is 1 December 2023.

As part of the Conference, four thematic sessions will address science and solutions across the Decade Challenges. During the parallel sessions within each of these sessions, oral presentations are being solicited to showcase innovative science and solutions relevant to the Challenges.

To learn more about the call for oral presentations, please click here.

Deadline for submission is 1 December 2023.

Communications contacts:

General contact

Ocean Decade

Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation

Institute of Oceanography-Spanish Research Council (IEO-CSIC)

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.

About the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation:

Barcelona Capital Nàutica is a public-private foundation that promotes initiatives linked to the nautical environment to improve people’s lives and raise awareness of the care of the sea, through sport and sustainability. It was founded in 2005 as Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona (FNOB) to promote ocean sailing, and in 2022 it became the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation with the aim of promoting sailing and blue development through nautical activities. Its aim is to transform the city of Barcelona and the region of Catalonia into one of the nautical capitals of the world, an international benchmark for top-level competitive sailing, from a sports, educational, business and scientific point of view. Its creation was the result of the idea of a platform formed by Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Generalitat de Catalunya, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Port of Barcelona, Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona, Diputació de Barcelona, Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona and Barcelona Global association, which are the current trustees of the Foundation.

Barcelona City Council has made a strong commitment towards the blue economy and launched a strategy in 2021 that aims to boost the blue economy sectors so that they become a vector of job creation, economic and social development of the city, with innovation and sustainability as the main drivers, and reinforcing the citizens’ connection to their coastline. (www.barcelonactiva.cat/en/blueeconomy).

Moreover, the Government of Catalonia has formulated a maritime strategy for the period until 2030, aiming to fully unleash the potential of Catalonia's blue economy within its maritime domain.

About IEO-CSIC:

The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO, CSIC), is a National Center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), under the Ministry of Science and Innovation, dedicated to research in marine sciences, especially in relation to scientific knowledge of the oceans, the sustainability of fisheries resources and the marine environment. The IEO represents Spain in most of the international scientific and technological forums related to the sea and its resources. It has nine coastal oceanographic centers, five marine culture experimentation plants, 12 tide stations, a satellite image receiving station and a fleet made up of four oceanographic vessels, among which the Ramón Margalef and Ángeles Alvariño stand out.

About ICM-CSIC:

The Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM) is the fourth largest research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the largest dedicated to marine research. Under the motto “Ocean Science for a Healthy Planet”, the ICM conducts frontier research and foster both knowledge and technology transfer on topics related to ocean and climate interactions, conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems, and impact mitigation of natural and anthropogenic hazards. In-depth knowledge, determined action, and coordinated management are essential to confronting these global challenges, thereby driving sustainable development of humankind. In 2020, the ICM was awarded with the Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence accreditation, further promoting ICM’s leadership role in marine research in Spain with a relevant commitment to generating societal impact.