This event will explore how co-produced, transdisciplinary science and cross-sectoral ocean governance and cooperation, involving intergenerational and cross-scale multi-stakeholders, can drive effective conservation and sustainable use. High-level speakers and panelists will share concrete practices, insights, and partnerships bridging knowledge and action through illustrative examples, such as:
| Welcome and introduction to the session by the Master of Ceremony | Dr. María José González-Bernat, Co-Director, Ecosystems Program, Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA) |
| High-level opening remarks | H.E Ambassador Julio Cordano, Director of Environment, Climate Change and Oceans, Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ambassador Viliami Va’inga Tone, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations Prof. Robbert Dijkgraaf, ISC President-Elect, former Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands |
| Panel discussion | Moderator: Dr. Peter Ricketts, Former President and Vice-Chancellor, currently Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at Acadia University |
| How can we deliver actionable knowledge for more inclusive, participatory and equitable decision-making on the ocean, and what are successful stories that can be leveraged and scaled up to support implementation in other contexts? | Peter Haugan, Policy director at Institute of Marine Research, Norway Lynne Shannon, Principal Researcher leading the Marine Sustainability group in the Department of Biological Sciences, and part of the Marine and Antarctic Research Centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARIS), University of Cape Town |
| How can universities foster science-policy partnerships in marine conservation and strengthen the role of science in area-based management tools including Marine Protected Areas | Professor Jean-Christophe Martin, University Cote d’Azur (UniCA) Professor María Fernanda Morales Camacho, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) |
| How can we leverage the BBNJ Agreement to advance cross-sectoral conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in alignment with SDG 14 | Tony MacDonald, Director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Louise Lieberknecht, Senior Expert in Marine Sustainability, GRID-Arendal |
| Q&A with the audience | |
| Wrap-up and key takeaways | |
| Youth call to action | Jasmine Nyagah, University of Nairobi, Kenya |
Photo by Zidhan Ibrahim on Unsplash
