Eighteen philanthropic Foundations have launched a joint statement on the occasion of the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, to raise awareness for the need to increase investment in ocean science to support sustainable development.
The Foundations Dialogue of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – an informal, global network of community, corporate and private Foundations that have chosen to work together to support the vision of the Ocean Decade – today launched The Bouknadel Statement affirming their commitment to investing in transformative ocean science. The Statement was launched during an event celebrating the Ocean Decade during the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.
The Statement recognizes the central role of the ocean in human health, safety and wellbeing but recognizes that significant gaps remain in ocean knowledge if sustainable development and climate goals are to be met. Via the statement, the group of Foundations that make up the Foundations Dialogue recognize their unique role in supporting the co-design and communication of ocean science, as well as in investing in capacity development including in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. The Foundations also highlight the need for the philanthropic community to develop new and innovative partnerships and tools, including blended financing, to meet the investment ambition of the Ocean Decade.
The Bouknadel Statement was the result of discussions of the Foundations Dialogue over several months in 2021 and 2022 that culminated in a meeting in Sidi Bouknadel, Morocco, in June 2022 at the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, the academic branch of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Patron of the Ocean Decade Alliance.
Click here to read The Bouknadel Statement
For more information, please contact:
Ocean Decade Communications Team (oceandecade.comms@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 UNESCO-IOC:
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.