2024 Ocean Decade Conference

Delivering the science we need for the ocean we want!

2024 will mark the fourth year of implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Under the leadership of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Ocean Decade has already galvanized thousands of partners around the world to start delivering the science we need for the ocean we want.

The time is now ripe to address key questions related to the Ocean Decade: What have been the main achievements since the launch of the Ocean Decade? What should be the key areas for action over the next three to five years? Focused on ‘delivering the science we need for the ocean we want’, the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, which will be hosted by the Government of Spain in Barcelona from 10 - 12 April 2024, will bring together the global Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate and take stock of progress, and set joint priorities for the future. An important milestone on the path to 2030, the event will cover the full range of Ocean Decade Challenges including critical issues such as climate change, food security, sustainable management of biodiversity, sustainable ocean economy, pollution, and natural hazards.

Over three days from the 10 - 12 April, the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will create a new foundation to strengthen the sustainable management of the ocean and drive science-based innovation, from global to local, leaving no one behind. In the lead up to the Conference, partners will also have the opportunity to complement the official Conference programme through Satellite Events. 

High-level Objectives

1. Showcase and celebrate achievements of the Ocean Decade from 2021 to 2024.
2. Generate consensus on science – policy – society priorities for the Ocean Decade over the next 3 to 5 years through structured dialogue around white papers resulting from the Ocean Decade Vision 2030 Process.
3. Create opportunities for networking to catalyse new partnerships and initiatives amongst diverse stakeholder groups and to bring new partners to the Ocean Decade.
4. Provide a global platform for announcements and commitments to support the solutions-oriented goals of the Ocean Decade.
5. Prepare existing and future Ocean Decade partners and initiatives for a visible and meaningful role in the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and related events.
6. Highlight initiatives led by local partners relevant to the Ocean Decade, in particular in relation to activities related to the role of science in the sustainable ocean economy.
7. Raise visibility and awareness of the Ocean Decade and the role of ocean science in sustainable development amongst the general public in Barcelona.

Program

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.