UN Ocean Conference side event: Developing the capacity we need for the ocean we want

The ability of coastal nations to manage their coastal and marine environments is vital in the development and maintenance of national sustainable blue economies and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Thus, capacity development is the key to creating an appropriately trained workforce able to co-design science-based knowledge and innovative solutions. This trained workforce is required to develop a sustainable blue economy, particularly in developing countries, and to ultimately achieve SDG14.

This side event will focus on how to design and implement the capacity development we need to achieve the 2030 agenda by showcasing:

• Existing global and regional initiatives that build upon the foundation of capacity development for ocean sciences
• Lessons learned from case studies and/or success stories from beneficiaries of training programs
• Recommendations on an action plan for the ocean for scientists, policymakers, local communities and the private sector to accelerate global CD efforts and responses to achieve SDG14 in the current decade

Program:

The 2022 UN Ocean Conference seeks to propel the needed science-based innovative solutions for implementation in global ocean action. Scientific solutions require knowledge, and knowledge requires developing capacity. The proposed side event will provide a framework on capacity development initiatives and how partnerships have worked to strengthen them, on lessons learned from their implementation, and on a vision and recommendations for future actions, contributing to the conference’s session on “Increasing scientific knowledge and developing research capacity and transfer of marine technology”. Major topics for discussion are:

• Developing capacity in ocean observations – opportunities (L. Krug)
• Delivering the training we need for the ocean we want through the Ocean Teacher Global Academy (F. Cardoso Martins)
• The special case of Small Island Developing States (R. Zitoun)
• An NF-POGO trainee perspective – How immersive training and alumni network create international partnership opportunities (P. Carrasco)
• Designing observation networks with data and capacity development in mind: challenges and opportunities (R. Seabra)
• An Action Plan for the Ocean – lessons from the Global Pandemic (C. Robinson)

Image by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash