Further information on the theme is available at: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/programme/themes.html#T1

Further information on the theme is available at: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/programme/themes.html#T1

Further information on the theme is available at: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/programme/themes.html#T1

Further information on the theme is available at: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/programme/themes.html#T1

Further information on the theme is available at: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/programme/themes.html#T8

In the last four years the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has galvanized tens of thousands of individuals in arguably the largest ever coordinated global ocean science movement. Over 50 global programmes and close to 500 national and regional projects are contributing to the achievement of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges to achieve the Decade mission of transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development that connect humanity and the ocean.

The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference held in April 2024 was a milestone moment in the implementation of the Ocean Decade. Over 2,600 participants from 124 countries gathered in Barcelona, Spain to discuss priorities for the global ocean science and knowledge agenda. The outcomes of the Conference are captured in The Barcelona Statement and the Conference outcomes report and address: (i) science and knowledge priorities including actions to ensure uptake of science and knowledge to inform decision making, and (ii) cross-cutting and enabling conditions including resources, capacity, and the need for inclusivity, diversity and equity in ocean science and knowledge.

This Town Hall will explore the progress made since the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in implementing the recommendations and actions of The Barcelona Statement. It will highlight new scientific research initiatives including those responding to emerging issues identified as priority issues during the Conference, the impact and remaining challenges for science and knowledge to inform global policy frameworks, the measures adopted to enhance the role of co-design and Indigenous knowledge in decision making, and present the results of new analytical work to develop an evidence base to support sustained investment in ocean science.

Structured in the form of a moderated roundtable discussion that integrates space for interaction with the audience, the event will convene thought leaders and experts on diverse ocean science and knowledge issues to provide their perspectives on the remaining needs and emerging opportunities for ocean science to contribute to sustainable development, including the achievement of SDG14.

Held at the mid-point of implementation of the Ocean Decade, the event aims to demonstrate the evolution in ocean science and knowledge initiatives and approaches from the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference to the One Ocean Science Congress and 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference. It will trigger discussion and dialogue for continued collective action and priority setting looking forward for the remainder of the Decade including milestone moments such as the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference and 2028 United Nations Ocean Conference.

“30x30” - the goal to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030 - has focused largely on permanent or long-term protection. This is based partly on studies linking marine protected area effectiveness to old age, as well pragmatic policy concerns. However, as coastal communities relying on fisheries for their livelihoods seek to find ways to balance conservation and livelihood outcomes, many forms of spatial fisheries management - especially traditional and indigenous management - rely on impermanence, including periodic and rotational protection, as well as protected areas that expire after a period of time. Could and should temporary protection count towards 30x30? The international “TEMPO” research team, a 5-year partnership between four universities and two community partner organizations in Mexico and French Polynesia, brings together several lines of evidence to speak to this question. In this Town Hall, the TEMPO team presents novel results from several scales of social-ecological analysis, and we critically discuss our findings with external experts to bring concrete lessons for ocean policymakers. The novel research we present and synthesize includes a global systematic review of temporary protection; fisheries and social-science data collection across 50+ cases of temporary protection in Mexico and French Polynesia; and in-depth ethnographic and participatory ecological data from six sites in Mexico and French Polynesia. We analyse these compelling, contradictory, and contextualized data into four main arguments: (1) there are diverse ways to include time with spatial management; (2) adding time to marine spatial management increases climate-adaptive policy options and potential for institutional fit; (3) temporary closures frequently increase equity and justice; and (4) periodic harvest tends to deplete ecological benefits that have accrued, but support long-term buy-in into ecological care. Our Town Hall includes several speed-talks from the TEMPO team (30 minutes), followed by a lively round table discussion of policy lessons (30 minutes). The round table discussion will be open to questions and commentary from the audience and we invite attendees to share experiences from cases of temporary closures. This Town Hall will be an opportunity to advance global dialogues on temporary marine spatial management.

The proposed town hall will first highlight diverse and inclusive capacity development strategies employed by the UN Ocean Decade endorsed Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme (ECOP Programme). We shall share the lessons learned from the past four years and discuss recommendations for further cooperative actions. In the second part of the town hall, moderated open discussion with the audience, the event will discuss current gaps in achieving better inclusivity, specifically funding gaps for certain geographies, inclusion of underrepresented communities, and challenges for the successful uptake of capacity development opportunities. We will touch upon geopolitical, intergenerational, and intersectoral aspects of inclusivity, and discuss ways to amplify the voices of those often underrepresented in high-level discussions. We will review DEI tools that can be used in capacity development activities, such as inclusive language, assertive communication, and consideration of cultural background. As a UN Ocean Decade programme working with and for ECOPs, with over 6,000 members across over 160 countries, we are in a unique position to share the voices and perspectives of these professionals to ensure more effective and inclusive ocean policies and solutions for all.

All our speakers, chairperson, and moderators are ECOPs. The moderators are included in the list of suggested speakers. Although it is problematic to confirm anyone’s participation almost 6 months before the Congress, we have done our best to ensure that the suggested list is geographically diverse. Currently, the list of our speakers, chairperson, and moderators features nationals of Ireland, Switzerland, El Salvador, Morocco, Canada, and Russia, however we expect that representatives of the different ECOP Programme nodes and task teams of many other nationalities will be involved as speakers from the audience in the moderated second section of the town hall. If the application is successful, we will ensure even broader representation of nationalities.

Our target audience will be ECOPs and established professionals, working in the capacity development field, such as training providers, interested in identifying ways to solve related capacity development challenges. We also welcome anyone interested in sharing their experiences related to barriers and inclusivity challenges in capacity development and career growth within the ocean sciences.

This town hall strives to share the successes of the ECOP Programme in their capacity development work and aims to find innovative and efficient solutions to address specific challenges related to capacity development/sharing. By ensuring an inclusive, international, and intersectoral atmosphere, we aim for an impactful and meaningful event by supplying concrete suggestions for further capacity development. The moderated open discussion will provide some successful examples of solving capacity development challenges by highlighting stories from our worldwide experience. The audience will be invited to share their experiences and learn new ways for creating opportunities that are truly inclusive. The open discussion will be highly interactive and action-oriented. This will result in a post-event report with a set of recommendations and actionable strategies that will feed into UNOC3 discussions.

UNEP, FAO, and UNDP, in close consultation with DOALOS - the interim secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement, are collaborating to support countries toward ratification of the BBNJ Agreement. There is strong political momentum towards having, by UNOC-3, the 60 ratifications required for the Agreement to enter into force.

The BBNJ Agreement is grounded in science, with the use of the best available scientific information and the use of relevant traditional knowledge being among its general principles and approaches. Essential to the successful implementation of the Agreement is therefore to have a multidisciplinary, inclusive and accessible science-base that leaves no one behind and is foundational to the value proposition for countries.

In an ABNJ context natural resources have characteristics of global public goods as they happen to be non-excludable and non-rival, their conservation and sustainable use requires international cooperation. A successful implementation of the BBNJ Agreement will likely require mainstreaming biodiversity, its values and ecosystem services into decision-making. It will also require appropriate financing, including innovative financing partnerships and incentivising private-sector financial contributions.

Scientific knowledge is fundamental in the processes under the Agreement relating to the establishment of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas, and to environmental impact assessments. Promoting marine scientific research and marine technology development and transfer are key objectives of the Agreement in relation to marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, and to capacity-building. A Scientific and Technical Body is established.

The session aims to bring experiences from states parties to Regional Seas Conventions and/or members of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, concerning scientific knowledge gaps and marine technology challenges on national and regional scales in relation to the Agreement. It will further focus on identifying how to consider relevant socio-economic dimensions in national planning.
Questions to be emphasized will include data and knowledge required from science that are critical to countries, institutions, and relevant societal actors. In that context, the multiple dimensions of ecological connectivity between areas beyond national jurisdiction and areas within national jurisdiction will be addressed, as well as the economic, social and ecosystem benefits arising from the BBNJ Agreement. Innovative public-private partnerships to mobilise financial resources will also be explored.

Questions will be centred around:
What data can be leveraged across related multilateral environmental agreements (e.g. CBD, CMS, CITES, Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans…) and regional fisheries management organizations in support of the BBNJ Agreement?
How can we better understand socio-economic dimensions in ABNJ to inform decision-making for the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ?
How can science and data, including from the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, inform the sustainable management of activities in ABNJ, incl. fisheries, shipping and mining, and assist assessing cumulative impacts on marine biodiversity?

The Townhall aims to share latest science, foster dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders in relevant fields and hence to accelerate the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement and inform its future implementation. This includes providing a compelling value proposition of the Agreement for States, in particular the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, geographically disadvantaged States, small island developing States, coastal African States, archipelagic States and developing middle income countries. Experiences will be shared to explore the science showcasing the significance of BBNJ as a contributor to the achievement of global goals and targets on sustainable development, in particular SDG 14, and other goals and commitments related to marine biodiversity and climate change.

The long history of the governance of ocean observation sheds light on the challenges facing the international community in strengthening the current governance of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). GOOS is a complex system of systems, implemented by a wide and diverse range of partners, from the academic to the private sphere, in many disciplines, and coordinated by numerous international, including two United Nations' specialised agencies, national and regional groups. The coordination and governance of ocean observations are therefore polycentric and require creative models to improve the efficiency of a rather fragile system, mainly funded by research initiatives.
Since its birth in the middle of the 19th century, under the impetus of Matthew Fontaine Maury and the scientists of the time, systematic observation of the ocean and atmosphere above it has been motivated by scientific and operational reasons. It was at an international conference in Brussels in 1853 that standards were first adopted, and then governance was gradually put in place. It is to this founding initiative that the history of today's WMO and of the GOOS can undoubtedly be traced, which shows the historical depth that led to the current governance of ocean observation systems.
The aim of this 'town hall' meeting is, by briefly recalling a few particularly instructive examples, to discuss possible and original ways of improving the current governance of GOOS to make it more sustainable. Should GOOS governance move closer to that of the World Meteorological Organization Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)? Is this possible without a change in the very paradigms of GOOS? Are other models possible? What balance should be struck between the current approach led by the United Nations' specialised agencies and more targeted diplomacy led by motivated national entities, as history has sometimes shown?

The nations of the world have set ambitious goals for human and planetary well-being, e.g., Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), biodiversity (CBD and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework); Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), climate (UNFCCC), and ecological restoration (UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration). 144 countries have also pledged to recognize and respect the rights of all people, including Indigenous peoples (UNDRIP). Through its Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the UN has set out to transform how ocean science and knowledge are gained, shared, and used in the pursuit of sustainable development. Achieving these goals will require new ways of amplifying the perspectives of all people and communities who depend on the ocean, and emphasizing the needs of Small Island Developing States and coastal Indigenous peoples.

In the lead-up to the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the Ocean Knowledge Action Network is convening “Listening Sessions” around the world to gather insights for actionable ocean science to support sustainable development. Listening sessions have been held for Latin America and Caribbean, the Western Indian Ocean, and with students at many different universities. Additional listening sessions are planned in West Africa, among the Indigenous members of the Ocean KAN from eight Indigenous communities, and for Early Career Ocean Professionals and students.

This town hall will present findings of these listening sessions and gather additional input towards a joint statement reflecting bottom-up voices for the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want. We invite participants to join us in building this statement so that we can offer these often unheard perspectives to and solicit additional input from all those who will gather together at the UN Ocean Conference.

The world is not on track to achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, including SDG 14 on Life Below Water. Ocean ecosystems, biodiversity, and the communities that depend on them face mounting threats. Recognising this, a 2023 survey conducted by the Ocean & Climate Platform (OCP) and Varda Group highlighted two key priorities for the ocean community: the urgent need to accelerate progress on SDG 14 and the importance of initiating reflections on a post-2030 agenda.

In response, OCP—together with the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Friends of Ocean Action, and with the support of Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy—launched a participatory visioning exercise to imagine desirable futures for the ocean and explore the transformations needed to make them a reality. This initiative informs discussions in the lead-up to the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

At the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, France, the Town Hall meeting “An Ocean of Possibilities” will present key insights emerging from this exercise. Structured around four core themes, the session will explore:
People and Nature: The need for transformative change at the interface between human societies and marine ecosystems.
Multilateralism: The power of international cooperation in enabling effective ocean governance and collective action.
Science: The central and evolving role of research and knowledge systems in supporting ocean sustainability and societal transformation.
Finance: Strategies to scale and mobilise financial mechanisms in service of equitable and resilient ocean futures.
This Town Hall aims to foster discussion among researchers and practitioners, while contributing to the development of a meaningful Post-2030 ocean agenda.

Placing ocean knowledge ahead of policy requires a cultural shift that can only be achieved through effective science communication involving a wide-range of audiences. In this context, storytelling is a powerful tool for ocean scientists seeking to engage different audiences, build emotional connections to the ocean, and inspire meaningful ocean action. This townhall is designed for a target audience of early career ocean professionals, as well as scientists of all generations and all disciplines eager to develop and refine their storytelling skills in the context of ocean science. The session will demonstrate how compelling communication can transform humanity’s relationship with the ocean, foster a deeper respect for the marine environment, and motivate ocean conservation efforts.
The objectives of this event are threefold: first, to explore the role of storytelling in shaping public perceptions and inspiring action on ocean issues; second, to equip scientists with practical tools and strategies for communicating their research to a variety of audiences; and third, to cultivate a new generation of ocean scientists who are not only skilled researchers but also effective communicators. We hope to foster and promote the space for intergenerational learning and conversation while simultaneously developing opportunities for early career ocean professionals.
The townhall will begin with a dynamic panel of communication experts discussing the importance of storytelling in science communication, followed by a case study of how to implement communication best practices into creative storytelling. The panel and best practices will set the viewers up for success, improving the skills necessary to present their science in a way that resonates with the public, policymakers, and others, and strengthens the case for ocean conservation and action. This event aims to empower young scientists to use storytelling as a tool for creating real-world impact, helping them to bridge the gap between science and action.

Climate change is already producing significant impacts on marine ecosystems and their fisheries. Distributional, productivity, body size, and seasonality changes are already presenting challenges for stock assessment and management processes, with implications for the effectiveness of management decisions. Given that a significant proportion of marine fish stocks are already overexploited (FAO 2024), climate-driven impacts put at risk the long-term sustainability of fisheries resources, their supporting ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.

There is broad agreement that adaptations to the consequences of climate change in fisheries management are urgently needed, but examples of climate-adaptive fisheries management are rare. The reasons for this are diverse, including that: stock assessment models rely on principles of stationarity and fixed population model parameters; climate change projections have a mismatch of scales with stock assessment and management decisions; fisheries advisers may find a challenge to include future scenarios that are subject to large uncertainties, while managers would have to consider the legal implications of decisions that could be contested; and shifting distributions of transboundary species that require new data collection, monitoring, assessments and international cooperation and coordination.

This town hall will explore how to incorporate climate change projections in fisheries management by discussing three overarching questions: What are the expected impacts that we need to consider? How can stock assessments incorporate these impacts and their associated uncertainties, which may be significant? And what flexibility can be introduced into the fisheries management cycle in order to foster adaptation and strengthen fisheries resilience?

The ultimate objective of this town hall is to broaden a community of action on climate-adaptive fisheries management, to foster discussions on how current and emerging scientific research can address key questions, and gather best practice principles, opportunities, and guiding examples. This discussion will contribute to objectives of sustainability, equitability, and safety of ocean-based food systems as well as effectiveness, equitability, and safety of ocean-based approaches to climate change adaptation, thereby contributing to broader goals of the conference. The target audience for this townhall will be intentionally cross-cutting, bridging disciplines and stakeholder groups, including experts (e.g. climate-change, fisheries), practitioners and managers (e.g. fisheries bodies), and policymakers.

The event is being co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the FishMIP consortium, with assistance from the Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER).

Motivation:
Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play a key role in sustaining both marine resources and biodiversity and associated socioeconomic uses, and thereby contributing to the United Nations development targets and goals. This has been demonstrated in recent years through innovative science-based approaches including transdisciplinary and sustainability research. However, data-poor situations in the North and the South hinder evidence-based decisions for ocean governance and equitable management of marine resources. For instance, the effectiveness of coastal marine protected areas and ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECM’s) requires a knowledge base that is often lacking, even though these tools are a crucial part of local to international frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Similarly, fisheries management relies on the timely production and interpretation of data to respond to internal and external changes in dynamic social-ecological systems.

How, then, can the knowledge base, and in particular the research and systems to build the knowledge base, make a stronger contribution to SSF management and policy frameworks in practice? This question is addressed in the “Which knowledge do we want?” town hall meeting. The aim is to see how more participatory knowledge co-production and knowledge sharing can lead to better governance and greater sustainability of small-scale fisheries and coastal biodiversity – across scales (i.e., at the local, national, and international levels).

Using expertise from throughout the world, the town meeting will be build on the output of the Illuminating Hidden Harvest program (https://www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/ihh/en), the 4th World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress held in South Africa in November 2022 (https://tbtiglobal.net/world-small-scale-fisheries-congress/), the Small-Scale Fisheries Summit held at FAO headquarters in July 2024 (https://ssfhub.org/ssf-summit-2024), and major international initiatives such as the Small-Scale Fisheries Stewardship Project (https://ssf-stewardship.net/), BRIDGES (https://www.bridges-wio.com/) and AABS (https://worldfishcenter.org/aabs) programs.

Target audience:
The town hall meeting will be relevant to fishing organizations, environmental non-government organizations (NGOs), policy makers, and international agencies, as well as researchers interested in a wide diversity of topics related to marine coastal biodiversity and fisheries (e.g., marine protected areas, spatial planning, local livelihoods, fishery value chain, governance, and knowledge systems) and those engaged in problem-solving approaches.

Expected outcomes:
With technical support from FAO, the meeting will provide evidence of the way forward and concrete, national- and international-level actions to bridge the scientific community with those actors, implementing organizations, and funding agencies that are part of and/or support SSF systems and value chains. We expect to produce tentative answers to a set of key questions that can lead to improved policy and practice: How can the ‘right’ forms of knowledge assist in balancing positive and negative interactions between SDG 14 (Life below water) and socially-relevant SDGs in SSF governance and policies? How can global and regional networks support knowledge co-production in marine ecosystems and fisheries? How can SSF and biodiversity knowledge be most effectively shared among stakeholder groups and inform decision-making? What knowledge, and what uses of that knowledge, would promote more equitable distribution of socioeconomic benefits and secure the livelihoods of vulnerable communities? How should data limitations in the global South be addressed in the long-term?

Ocean Vision Legal is pioneering a project to bring together best practices on environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and Rights of Nature to help ensure that human activities respect and preserve the intricate and invaluable ecosystems and species of the Ocean. The United Nations itself has stressed that in order to maintain the quality of life that the Ocean provides to humanity, a change will be required in how we view, manage and use the Ocean. Our template framework is intended to be released prior to UNOC3 and provide a basis for discussions in this workshop.

Rights of Nature, or Ocean Rights requires that the impacts on the rights and intrinsic values of the marine environment are assessed separately from those to human health, sociocultural or economic impacts, even in the absence of the certainty or evidence of risk to individuals. Additionally, according to Ecuador’s Constitutional Court, the use of Nature’s elements “may under no circumstance jeopardise its existence and the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes.” How can these and other obligations under Ocean Rights help inform the development of EIAs?

States have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment under Part 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Though quite arguably the most important obligation, it has been largely ignored, in part due to a lack of understanding of what the obligation entails in practice. However, this obligation arguably provides for the application of the highest standards of protection, protection from future damage and maintaining or improving its present condition. What do such obligations mean in the context of developing EIAs?

Likewise, best practices reveal we must work to understand what baseline conditions are, and what “healthy” and “serious or irreversible harm” looks like from an ocean-centric point of view, not just a human dimension. Arguably, this not only requires an ecological and holistic perspective, but an understanding of both the best available science and sufficiency of that information, as well as the inclusion of both western science and Indigenous and traditional knowledge. How do our assessments or metrics for what constitutes significant harm to the marine environment influence the outcomes of EIAs? How can such metrics be defined in order to help ensure the purposes of EIAs, to prevent environmental degradation, are fulfilled? Rather than aiming to prevent ecological harm, can we aim for higher— to ensure the maintenance or improvement of the marine environment's health?

We seek to convene scientists, advocates and policy makers to discuss what best practices exist in ocean governance and how they may be evolved in the context of EIAs. The inputs from this meeting will be the start of a global consultation process that will inform the development of OVL’s evolved EIA framework. This framework has the potential to ensure effective implementation of ocean law and policy, as well as international treaties such as the UNCLOS, CBD and BBNJ Agreement, where EIAs are a central implementation measure for such Conventions.

Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) presents transformative opportunities for advancing sustainable ocean management.

The townhall, through panel discussions and interaction with diverse stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers, and community representatives, will focus on key themes such as:
- Sustainable Ocean Management: Participants will examine practical applications of DTOs. A case study will illustrate how DTOs can enhance decision-making by providing visual but science-based, what-if scenarios, enabling stakeholders to better manage fisheries, prevent pollution, or address climate impacts.
- Observations, Data Ecosystems and Interoperability: Effective DTOs rely on adequate ocean observations and robust, interconnected data ecosystems. The townhall will discuss the importance of integrating diverse data sources, from satellite observations to citizen science. Addressing the challenge of data interoperability, participants will explore ways to ensure that data from different sources can be harmonized and used across platforms, enabling seamless collaboration between ocean researchers, policymakers, and industries.
- DTO Architecture: Technical discussions will cover the core architecture of DTOs, including the development of scalable, modular frameworks that can be adapted to various regions and environmental conditions. Experts will delve into the computational requirements, highlighting innovations in cloud computing and AI that support the development of realistic and accurate DTOs.
- Governance, Equity, and Capacity Building: The success of DTOs hinges on effective governance and equitable access to resources. The townhall will examine the frameworks needed to ensure transparent, inclusive governance of ocean data and models. Special attention will be given to equity in the distribution of DTO benefits, emphasizing capacity-building initiatives for developing countries and marginalized communities. Ensuring that all stakeholders—especially those most affected by ocean changes—can access and contribute to DTOs will be critical in promoting global ocean sustainability.

Through this townhall, participants will collaborate on strategies to harness the power of digital twin technology, advancing collective efforts toward healthier, more resilient oceans for future generations.

The townhall is proposed jointly by the European Commission, the DITTO Decade programme and the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean working group.

The Ocean is undergoing dramatic changes due to climate change, pollution and the (over)exploitation of marine resources. Advanced ocean monitoring and prediction capabilities are urgently required to sustainably manage the Ocean, protect marine biodiversity and support climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.

The OceanPredict 2024 Symposium « Advancing Ocean Prediction science for societal benefits » (https://www.oceanpredict24.org/), organized by the OceanPredict/ForeSea programme in collaboration with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC) was held from November 18-22 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The event marked a significant milestone in global ocean prediction science. It brought together 350 on-site participants and attracted 1,500 online registrations from around the world, highlighting its importance within the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030. The symposium reviewed the recent achievements and discussed the main challenges required to advance the development of ocean reanalyses, analyses and prediction capabilities in response to societal needs. The event included sessions centered around ocean predictions from physics, sea ice to biogeochemistry and from global, regional to coastal scales. It covered new developments in ocean predictions (observations, modeling, data assimilation, ensemble approaches, machine learning / AI, digital twins, etc.), ocean prediction systems and services, and user applications and societal benefits.

This town hall meeting will build on the OP’24 symposium outcomes and the activities of the relevant UN Decade programmes and the OceanPrediction UN Decade Collaborative Center to present a call for action for an international mobilization to advance ocean prediction capabilities in response to societal needs.

The one-hour session will be organized around a series of talks summarizing OP’24 discussions and outcomes. The session will gather international speakers from a large range of countries and several ECOPs. It will be concluded with the presentation of the call for action.

The deep sea is the world’s largest ecosystem and its integrity and functioning are crucial for the stability of planetary processes such as climate regulation and the sustenance of life; yet it faces growing threats from human activities. Maintaining deep-ocean ecosystem integrity and resilience is essential to meet SDG14 and the UN Ocean Decade Vision 2030. Scientific networks such as the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), the International Panel for Ocean Sustainability’s (IPOS) Global Deep-Sea Consultation, and the African Network of Deep-water Researchers (ANDR) are vital for connecting researchers and connecting researchers with policy processes. As human activities increasingly impact the deep ocean, formal and informal networks play an important role in ensuring that science informs policy discussions on pressing topics such as deep-sea mining, biodiversity conservation, fisheries management, and climate interventions. These globally-inclusive networks help translate complex scientific findings into policy-relevant insights, supporting discussions occurring across governance processes, including the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Agreement on Sustainable use and conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), among others. This Town Hall event aims to highlight the role of scientific networks in providing strategic science policy advice for ocean stewardship, showcasing collaborative successes across a range of deep-sea issues, and identifying opportunities for different networks to further coordinate efforts to enhance our science to policy impact.

Target Audience
The Town Hall will engage a broad audience, including policymakers, researchers, philanthropic organizations, stakeholders in ocean governance, early career ocean professionals (ECOPs), and representatives from international ocean initiatives. This event will provide valuable insights for those involved in or affected by decisions related to deep-sea governance, including professionals in marine conservation, resource management, and climate policy.

Expected Outcomes
By the end of the Town Hall, participants will have a clearer understanding of how deep-sea science networks operate and collaborate to inform global policy. The event will:

1. Highlight case studies demonstrating successful science-policy interactions across a range of ocean-governance fora;
2. Demonstrate how scientific networks amplify voices that may otherwise go unheard by providing formal platforms to incorporate diverse and interdisciplinary expertise into global ocean governance processes;
3. Facilitate dialogue on challenges and opportunities for improving engagement between the scientific community and decision-makers;
4. Foster knowledge exchange across scientific networks, to enhance and promote collaborative efforts to address deep-ocean environmental challenges.

Through short introductory presentations and participatory dialogue, the Town Hall aims to strengthen relationships between deep-sea research networks and global governance bodies, ultimately enhancing the role of science and knowledge in safeguarding the deep ocean's unique ecosystems.

This session will explore how the growing blue economy requires a strategic rethinking of education, research, and workforce development to address sustainable development challenges. As the blue economy evolves, new professions are emerging at the intersection of marine science, technology, and socio-economic innovation. These roles demand forward-looking training and interdisciplinary research to tackle complex environmental, economic, and societal issues, while strengthening industry connections to ensure practical impact. Key to this transformation is developing skills in areas like ocean monitoring, autonomous marine technologies, and digital tools for data analysis and ecosystem management. These advancements are reshaping how we interact with marine environments, promoting more sustainable practices. Emerging skills in sustainable fishing, tourism, decarbonizing maritime transport, and marine renewable energy are vital for aligning economic growth with environmental preservation. Innovations in climate-neutral fuels, wind propulsion, and nature-based solutions help reduce the ecological footprint of maritime activities while boosting local economies and preserving cultural heritage. To fully seize these opportunities, it’s essential to bridge the gap between academia, education, and industry. Research must align with the needs of the blue economy, ensuring academic insights become practical solutions. Collaborative frameworks involving universities, industry, and policymakers will promote innovation and ensure training programs meet sector demands. This approach will accelerate the development of new technologies and practices, providing students and professionals with real-world experience and industry-relevant skills. The global scale of these challenges underscores the importance of inclusive collaboration, particularly for the Global South. Tailored capacity-building, inclusive partnerships, and technology transfer must ensure blue economy opportunities are accessible to all. Frugal innovation will be critical in developing cost-effective, adaptable technologies that address regional needs, empowering communities worldwide to adopt sustainable practices. By focusing on equitable access and local empowerment, the blue economy can become a driver of global equity and resilience. Meeting these objectives requires reimagining education and training systems. Interdisciplinary Master’s programs, vocational training, and lifelong learning initiatives for students and professionals will equip future workers with the necessary knowledge and skills for blue economy careers. Programs combining environmental science, engineering, economics, and law will produce a workforce capable of managing marine resources, adapting to climate change, and fostering maritime innovation. Research will play a pivotal role in closing knowledge gaps and driving innovation. Key priorities include marine biodiversity conservation, sustainable aquaculture, and technologies for waste reduction and pollution management. These efforts must be integrated into educational frameworks and co-designed with industry to ensure practical relevance. This panel will showcase real-world examples of how education, research, and industry collaboration can generate impactful results. Existing models, such as the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), will demonstrate how cross-sector collaboration fosters sustainability. The session will provide actionable recommendations to guide global efforts toward a sustainable blue economy, emphasizing the importance of integrating education, research, and industry to balance economic growth with environmental responsibility. It calls for collective investment in preparing the next generation of professionals to address the challenges and opportunities for oceans and coastal communities.

The high and growing prevalence of hunger and malnutrition in the world suggests that global food systems are failing to provide equitable access to safe, nutritious, sustainable, affordable, and culturally preferred food. A transformation of food systems is therefore needed, as highlighted by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. Aquatic foods hold a unique potential to contribute to this transformation thanks to their high nutritional value, importance for livelihoods, cultural significance, and relatively low environmental impact, but the lack of a whole food systems approach to their management prevents us from achieving their potential.
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (hereafter, Ocean Decade) Vision 2030 process outlined the science, knowledge, and innovation needs required to optimise the ocean's role across a number of challenges, providing an excellent platform to enhance connectivity between aquatic food systems science and broader ocean users and governance. As part of this, science needs to “Sustainably nourish the global population” (Ocean Decade Challenge 3) were identified to ultimately deliver a ‘Blue Transformation’.
Our Town Hall event will summarise several key recommendations that emerged from the Challenge 3 White Paper, providing an overarching understanding of the gaps and opportunities for aquatic food systems science. It will provide an opportunity to frame global discussions on the science needs and gaps to support action on equitable and sustainable aquatic food systems and identify key pathways and synergies to effectively leverage these. While numerous international initiatives have focused on policy and practice solutions to challenges in aquatic food systems, our event highlights that each of these proposed solutions has specific science needs to be identified and addressed.
Key guiding questions of the event will be: (1) What are the main challenges that aquatic food systems are facing?, (2) What are the main science objectives and specific needs that must be addressed to optimise the role of aquatic food systems in tackling hunger and malnutrition?, and (3) How can we strengthen the science-policy-practice nexus to support aquatic food systems?
The target audience for this Town Hall will be intentionally cross-cutting, bridging disciplines and stakeholder groups, including experts (e.g. ranging from nutritionists, economists, to climate-change specialists), practitioners and managers (e.g. fisheries bodies, blue economy organisations), and policymakers from both the industrialized and emerging nations. By having this wider array of audience members, the event itself will promote a whole food systems approach in the way it tackles aquatic food systems science needs.
The outcome of this Town Hall will be recommendations on how to make the science needs to support a Blue transformation identified by the Vision 2030 process more actionable within the UN Ocean Decade.

Moderator:
Erik Olsen: Head of Research/ Research Manager, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR)

Keynote speaker:
Vera Agostini: Deputy Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 

Speakers:
Eddie Allison: WorldFish, Malaysia​
Maria Darias: MARBEC, Université Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France​
Stefan Gelcich: Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecologia Costera, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile​
Mackrina Patrick Nombo: PhD candidate at the University of Dar es salaam/ Fish Technology Tutor at the Fisheries Education and Training Agency of Tanzania​
David Obura: CORDIO East Africa / Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services​
Shakuntala Thilsted: Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform, CGIAR, Washington D.C., United States