Main programme
2024 Ocean Decade Conference
The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will be part of an entire Ocean Decade Week in Barcelona that will run from 8 to 12 April 2024. The official Conference will run for three days from 10 to 12 April at the Barcelona International Convention Centre.
The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will commence with a high-level opening segment on the 10 April 2024, at which Heads of State, leaders of UN agencies, industry and philanthropic leaders will be present. The high-level opening segment will be followed by a plenary session focusing on the conditions of success for the Ocean Decade including inclusivity, equity and diversity across gender, generations and geographies.
Between the afternoon of the 10 April and the morning of the 12 April, the Conference will be structured into four thematic sessions based around groupings of the Ocean Decade Challenges. These sessions will comprise a mix of plenary and parallel sessions to present the results of the Ocean Decade Vision 2030 process, to showcase innovative science-solutions initiatives and to develop recommendations for the validation and finalisation of a common strategic ambition for each Ocean Decade Challenge.
The final closing session of the Conference on the 12 April 2024 will commence with a plenary on resources and partnerships in the Ocean Decade that will also provide an opportunity for announcements and commitments by partners. This will be followed by a high-level closing segment that will report the main outcomes of the event, including a Conference Outcomes Statement that will synthesize the vision to 2030 for the Ocean Decade.
All plenary sessions will be streamed live:
Click on the session titles for more details
10 April
09.30 - 13.00
Plenary: High Level Opening Segment
Plenary: Conditions of Success for the Ocean Decade
15.00 - 18.00
Session 1: Science and Solutions for a Clean, Healthy and Resilient Ocean
(Challenges 1, 2 and 5 – Pollution, Ecosystems and Climate)
Plenary and Parallel Sessions
11 April
10.00 - 13.00
Session 2: Science and Solutions for a Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economy
(Challenges 3 and 4 – Sustainable Ocean Economy and Sustainable Blue Food)
Plenary and Parallel Sessions
15.00 - 18.00
Session 3: Science and Solutions for a Safe and Predicted Ocean
(Challenges 6, 7 and 8 – Coastal Resilience, Observations, Data and Predictions)
Plenary and Parallel Sessions
12 April
10.00 - 13.00
Session 4: An Inspiring and Engaging Ocean for All
(Challenges 9 and 10 – Capacity Development, Ocean Literacy, Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Cultural Heritage)
Plenary and Parallel Sessions
15.00 - 18.00
Plenary: Resources and Partnerships for the Ocean Decade
Plenary: Announcements and Commitments for the Ocean Decade
Plenary: Closing Segment - Charting a Vision to 2030
09:30 - 10:20 | Plenary: High Level Opening Segment
Subject to last-minute change
Opening words from UNESCO:
- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
Message from Heads of State and Ocean Decade Alliance Patrons, and from Heads of Government:
- H.E. Jose Maria Neves, President of Cabo Verde
- H.E. Wavel Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles
- H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco
- H.E. Mark Brown, Prime Minister of Cook Islands
Welcome from Hosts:
- H.E. Jaume Collboni, Mayor, Barcelona
- H.E. Diana Morant Ripoll, Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain
- H.E. Pere Aragonès, President, Region of Catalonia
Official Photo
10:20 - 10:45 | COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 11:10 | Plenary: High Level Opening Segment
National and international perspectives:
- H.E. Cecilie Myrseth, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Norway
- H.E. Kerryne James, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada
- H.E. Shuxian Sun, Vice-Minister of Natural Resources, China
- Dr. Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean Commissioner
- Dr. Manuel Barange, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations:
- Ambassador Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean
11:10 - 12:50 | Plenary: Conditions of Success for the Ocean Decade
The Ocean Decade – Status and Perspectives:
- Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO
Moderator of Panel 1:
- Ronnie Noonan-Birch, Marine Socioecologist, Ocean Frontier Institute
Panelists:
- Jack Thatcher, coastal navigator
- Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand and 37th America’s Cup
- Katy Soapi, Coordinator of Partnerships and Engagement at the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science, The Pacific Community (SPC)
- Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director, Schmidt Ocean Institute
Moderator of Panel 2:
- Gabriel Akoko Juma, PhD Student, Alfred Wegener Institute
Panelists:
- Maria Varteressian, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Norway
- Arthur Tuda, Executive Secretary, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)
- Cass Hunter, Indigenous Social-Ecological Researcher, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
- Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director-General for Science and Analysis, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
12:50 - 13:00 | Special interventions
- Geng Tao, Vice Mayor, Qingdao City Council, China
- Ambassador Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Presidential Envoy for the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, France
About the thematic sessions:
Each of these sessions will comprise a plenary session taking place in the One Ocean Room (plenary room), followed by parallel sessions. The plenary sessions will commence with a keynote speaker followed by a moderated roundtable discussion providing an overview of achievements, future opportunities and remaining challenges for the issues in question, thus setting the scene for the discussions in the parallel sessions.
The following parallel sessions, entitled ‘Science Solutions Forums’, will start with a presentation of the key elements of the Vision 2030 White Paper for the relevant Challenge and be followed by a series of oral presentations from Decade and non-Decade partners on innovative science-society solutions that are contributing to or aligned with the Challenge. The parallel sessions will close with a moderated interactive dialogue to develop key recommendations from the session for reporting back to plenary.
The Vision 2030 process presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to actively engage in shaping the future of the Ocean Decade. Whether you attend the Conference in person or follow the plenary sessions via livestream, you will have the opportunity to share your comments and feedback on the draft recommendations presented in the Outcomes Report, Outcomes Report Executive Summary and associated White Papers – click here for more information.
Session 1 - Science and Solutions for a Clean, Healthy and Resilient Ocean:
focusing on Challenges 1, 2 and 5 - Marine Pollution, Ecosystems and Ocean-Climate Nexus
15:00 - 16:00 | Plenary session
Keynote speaker: Kestutis Sadauskas, Deputy Director-General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Moderator: Jessica Brown, Back to Blue Initiative
Panelists:
- Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Research Director at the Laboratory of Oceanography of Villefranche, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) - Sorbonne University - French Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)
- Aileen Tan, Director of Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia
- Imogen Napper, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Plymouth
- Marc Simon, Director of Innovation and Strategic Projects, SUEZ France
16:30 - 18:00 | Parallel sessions
- Parallel session 1.1 – Challenge 1 One Ocean Room (Plenary) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 1 Co-Chair, Vanessa Hatje, and facilitated by Kathryn Sheps
- Parallel session 1.2 – Challenge 1 Arctic Ocean Room (120+121) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 1 Co-Chair, Rosemary Rayfuse, and facilitated by Dimitris Faloutsos
- Parallel session 1.3 – Challenge 2 Atlantic Ocean Room (Area 06) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 2 Co-Chair, Frank Muller-Karger, and facilitated by Audrey Darnaude and Steve Bograd
- Parallel session 1.4 – Challenge 2 Baltic Sea Room (122+123) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 2 Co-Chair, Aileen Tan, and facilitated by Linwood Pendleton and Martina Stiasny
- Parallel session 1.5 – Challenge 5 Pacific Ocean Room (Area 08) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 5 Co-Chair, Christopher Sabine
- Parallel session 1.6 – Challenge 5 Caribbean Sea Room (124+125) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 5 member, Richard Bellerby
Browse the oral presentations here.
Session 2 - Science and Solutions for a Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economy:
focusing on Challenges 3 and 4 – Sustainable Ocean Economy and Sustainable Blue Food
10:00 - 11:00 | Plenary session
Keynote speaker: Steven Thur, Director of Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Moderator: Claire Jolly, Head of Innovation Policies for Space and Oceans Unit, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Panelists:
- Sergi Tudela, Director-General for Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries, Government of Catalonia
- Atsushi Sunami, President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
- Peter Haugan, Policy Director, Institute of Marine Research; Professor at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen
- Shakuntala Thilsted, Director, Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform, CGIAR
- Almotaz Abadi, Deputy Secretary-General, Union for the Mediterranean
11:30 - 13:00 | Parallel sessions
- Parallel session 2.1 – Challenge 3 One Ocean Room (Plenary) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 3 Co-Chair, Vera Agostini, and facilitated by Merete Tandstad
- Parallel session 2.2 – Challenge 3 Arctic Ocean Room (120+121) Led by Vision 2030 Working Group 3 Co-Chair, Erik Olsen, and facilitated by Shakuntala Thilsted
- Parallel session 2.3 – Challenge 4 Atlantic Ocean Room (Area 06) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 4 Co-Chair, Peter M. Haugan
- Parallel session 2.4 – Challenge 4 Pacific Ocean Room (Area 08) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 4 Co-Chair, Andrew Rhodes
Browse the oral presentations here.
Session 3 - Science and Solutions for a Safe and Predicted Ocean:
focusing on Challenges 6, 7 and 8 – Coastal Resilience, Observations, Data and Predictions
15:00 - 16:00 | Plenary session
Keynote speaker: Dwikorita Karnawati, Head, Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG)
Moderator: Mark Heine, CEO, Fugro
Panelists:
- Patricia Miloslavich, Program Lead of the East Antarctic Monitoring Program, Australian Antarctic Program
- Pierre Bahurel, Director-General, Mercator Ocean International
- Ann-Christine Zinkann, Program Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); International Ocean Program Specialist, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
- Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)
- Kimberly Mathisen, CEO, HubOcean
16:30 - 18:00 | Parallel sessions
- Parallel session 3.1 – Challenge 6 Atlantic Ocean Room (Area 06) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 6 Co-Chair, Nadia Pinardi
- Parallel session 3.2 – Challenge 6 Arctic Ocean Room (120+121) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 6 Co-Chair, Srinivasa Kumar Tummala
- Parallel session 3.3 – Challenge 7 Pacific Ocean Room (Area 08) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 7 Co-Chair, Joe O’Callaghan
- Parallel session 3.4 – Challenge 7 Baltic Sea Room (122+123) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 7 Co-Chair, Patricia Miloslavich
- Parallel session 3.5 – Challenge 8 Caribbean Sea Room (124+125) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 8 Co-Chair, Jan-Bart Calewaert
- Parallel session 3.6 – Challenge 8 Indian Ocean Room (127+128) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 8 Co-Chair, Paula Cristina Sierra-Correa
Browse the oral presentations here.
Session 4 - An Inspiring and Engaging Ocean for All:
focusing on Challenges 9 and 10 – Capacity Development, Ocean Literacy, Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Cultural Heritage
10:00 - 11:00 | Plenary session
Keynote speaker: Ken Paul, Principal / Owner, Pokiok Associates
Moderator: Jacqueline Uku, Senior Research Scientist and Research Coordinator, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI)
Panelists:
- Vivienne Solis Rivera, Founder, CoopeSoliDar R.L., Costa Rica
- Lora Fleming, Professor, European Centre for Environment and Human Health; Chair of Oceans, Epidemiology and Human Health, University of Exeter
- Ronaldo Christofoletti, Professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP)
- Josep L. Pelegrí, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
11:30 - 13:00 | Parallel sessions
- Parallel session 4.1 – Challenge 9 Atlantic Ocean Room (Area 06) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 9 Co-Chair, Brian Arbic
- Parallel session 4.2 – Challenge 9 Arctic Ocean Room (120+121) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 9 Co-Chair, Edem Mahu
- Parallel session 4.3 – Challenge 10 One Ocean Room (Plenary) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 10 Co-Chair, Diz Glithero
- Parallel session 4.4 – Challenge 10 Pacific Ocean Room (Area 08) Led and facilitated by Vision 2030 Working Group 10 Co-Chair, Nicola Bridge
Browse the oral presentations here.
15:00 - 16:00 | Plenary: Resources and Partnerships for the Ocean Decade
Moderator: Alfredo Giron, Head of Ocean Action Agenda, World Economic Forum
Panelists:
- François Houllier, President and CEO, French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER)
- Sylvia Michele Diez, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank
- Hide Sakaguchi, President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), Sasakawa Peace Foundation
- Susan Gardner, Director of Ecosystems Division, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Barbara Karuth-Zelle, Allianz Board Member and Group COO
16:30 - 17:00 | Plenary: Special Event – The Statsraad Lehmkuhl
17:00 - 18:00 | Plenary: Announcements and Conference Closing
This session will feature a series of new announcements and commitments by partners to the Ocean Decade and the launch of the Barcelona Conference Statement.
Remarks by:
- Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO
- Sergi Tudela, Director-General for Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries, Government of Catalonia
- Maria Eugènia Gay, Second Deputy Mayor, Barcelona
- Eloísa del Pino, President, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference is co-organised by:
