The World Ocean Summit & Expo is an annual global event designed to inspire bold thinking and new partnerships in the ocean realm to trigger action that further develops a sustainable ocean economy.

The three-day event aims to change the way business is done in the ocean by bringing together the widest cross-section of the ocean community from business and finance, as well as governments, national and international policy-makers, civil society and academia.

Just like last year, this year’s agenda of the World Ocean Summit will focus on ocean health, industry strategies for a sustainable ocean economy, and ocean-climate solutions, while covering a variety of topics, including blue food, biodiversity, ocean pollution, offshore renewable energy projects, tourism, governance and policy, finance and investment, ocean climate solutions, and the shipping industry.

All tracks will feature speakers and sessions on investment and innovative financial tools to drive the restoration of ocean health. The sessions will move between high-level policy discussions in the plenaries, detailed focus on ocean-based industries and tangible solutions to the ocean crisis in the track sessions, and hands-on interaction in the new “How to” working group sessions. 

The ten “How to” workshops will present real-world solutions to global ocean challenges. Presented as a series of interactive discussions led by expert speakers, the workshops will move the focus from talk to action by creating a set of action points and practical takeaways for individuals and organisations committed to restoring ocean health.

The summit will feature more than 180 expert speakers and convene the widest cross-section of the ocean community from business and finance to government, national and international policymakers, civil society and academia. Confirmed speakers include Sylvia Earle, president and co-chair of Mission Blue, Peter Thomson, UN secretary-general’s special envoy for the ocean, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s ambassador to poles and oceans, aquanaut and explorer Fabien Cousteau, director of the High Seas Alliance, and Rebecca Hubbard, amongst many other high-profile guests. 

The event provides the perfect platform to inspire new partnerships, solutions and strategies on the track to meet the 2030 targets in UN Sustainable Development Goal 14. It is designed to change the way business is done in the ocean.

Source: oceanographic