Following the launch of the Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap, a new Call for Nominations opens for members of the African and Adjacent Island States Ocean Decade Taskforce. Be part of a multi-stakeholder body to oversee and promote the implementation of the Africa Roadmap across the region.
The Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap, unveiled at the African Conference on Priority Setting and Partnership Development for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (10-12 May 2022), provides an aspirational vision and solid plan for diverse stakeholders to convene around a common set of priorities to implement the Ocean Decade at the African continental level and in adjacent island states.
Building on this momentum, a new Taskforce is being established to engage diverse African partners in the Ocean Decade.
The mandate of the African and Adjacent Island States Ocean Decade Taskforce is to oversee and promote the implementation of the Africa Roadmap as well as the enabling environment necessary for its success. This will help ensure that ownership of the Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap is systematically reconfirmed and strengthened among African nations, research institutes, NGOs, industry and philanthropic partners, and regional and indigenous organizations.
The Taskforce will:
- Provide strategic vision, direction, and coordination of specific actions
- Provide advice on measures and initiatives required to create the appropriate enabling environment for translating the Africa Roadmap into co-designed Ocean Decade Actions at multiple levels from resource mobilisation, development of new partnerships, coordination, to research and policy initiatives
- Facilitate and provide support to the development of co-designed programmes, projects and initiatives for submission in response to Calls for Decade Actions
- Continue socialization/communication on the Ocean Decade in Africa and Africa Roadmap with existing networks, institutions, exerts and stakeholders
- Identify multisector/multistakeholder engagement and outreach activities to engage further regional stakeholders outside the Taskforce and raise awareness of the Ocean Decade. This will include specific mechanisms to engage priority groups, including indigenous and local knowledge holders, Early Career Ocean Professionals, ports authorities and maritime services, business and industry or philanthropy
- Provide guidance and support on the mobilisation of financial and in-kind resources to support Roadmap implementation
- Establish specific/thematic working groups as deemed necessary
The Taskforce will comprise up to 15 expert members drawn from government, private sector, philanthropy, civil society and the scientific community, plus five members representing regional organizations (UN agencies, regional intergovernmental organization and NGOs).
Expert members will be selected for a two-year term with due consideration to expertise, geographic, generational and gender balance, and will serve on a voluntary, non-remunerated basis in their personal capacities.
The full Terms of Reference are available here.
Interested in becoming a Member of the African and Adjacent Island States Ocean Decade Taskforce? Submit here.
Deadline: 25 August 2022 at 23.59h CET.
Communications contact:
Sharon Rapose (s.rapose@unesco.org)
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About the Ocean Decade:
Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.
About the IOC-UNESCO:
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.