CIIMAR was present at the EurOCEAN 2023 Conference, which took place on 10-11 October in Vigo, with a delegation of several CIIMAR members.
Under the overarching theme “One Ocean, One Mission, One Decade – One Voice”, the conference highlighted the synergies between the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, other EU research and innovation, and management initiatives, and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
On the 11th of October, a pivotal moment occurred when the Vigo Declaration was signed by all co-organizers of EurOCEAN 2023, which included key networks such as Euromarine, co-chaired by Professor Isabel Sousa Pinto, and the European Marine Board. The Vigo declaration “Speaking with One Voice to achieve the One Ocean we want” firmly advocated for integrated land-sea policies and management, sustained and better coordinated Ocean observation and increased citizen engagement. For those interested, the Vigo declaration can be downloaded here.
We have set up ambitious objectives to be achieved by 2030 to restore our ocean and waters, and to realize the science we need for this purpose. We are now approaching the middle of the decade, and entering a new phase that goes from mobilization via the Mission Charter and the Ocean Decade Actions, to rally our efforts and work together to see the impact of our collective action, and investigate how we will meet these objectives for 2030. We have One Decade to accomplish One Mission. We need One Voice to achieve the One Ocean we want.
