Ahead of the upcoming 28th UN Climate Change Conference, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (the ‘Ocean Decade’) has endorsed a set of 21 new Decade Actions focused on the advancement and application of ocean knowledge for a healthy ocean on the path to 2030 and beyond.

Through biannual Calls for Decade Actions, the Ocean Decade continues to expand the global portfolio of science-based solutions contributing to its vision of ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. With this latest batch of Decade Actions, critical ocean science issues are tackled including global ocean observing systems and accurate prediction of ocean ecosystems, data generation and open access, knowledge and innovation for multi-hazard early warning systems, marine and coastal pollution, and ocean literacy.

From the USA and Costa Rica to Italy and Australia, these initiatives are primarily led by governmental and research institutions, along with non-governmental organizations, with the aim of creating innovative new ocean knowledge and science to influence policy and decision making.

“On the eve of COP28, the world’s biggest annual climate conference, we are thrilled to announce the tangible progress we are making to catalyze transformative ocean science solutions,” said Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the agency charged with coordinating the Ocean Decade. “The endorsement of this additional wave of 21 Ocean Decade Actions is a direct contribution to the battle for ocean resilience and climate change mitigation.”

Discover here the full list of endorsed Ocean Decade Actions

(Image credit: MasayukiAgawa/Ocean Image Bank)

To enhance collaborative design of the science we need by 2030, seven new Decade Contributions have received official endorsement.

Among them, the Decade Coordination Office (DCO) for Connecting People and Ocean will coordinate Decade implementation under Challenge 10. Aligned with the Ocean Decade’s cross-cutting priority of enhancing the relationship between people and the ocean, the DCO will facilitate the dissemination of climate information, support outreach and ocean literacy initiatives, mobilize resources, and ensure capacity development. It will be hosted by the IOC/UNESCO Project Office at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe located in Venice, Italy.

A community of scholars from 22 leading international universities and research centers, One Ocean Hub has been designated as Decade Implementing Partner (DIP) to bridge existing gaps in law-science-policy interfaces and integrate governance frameworks to balance multiple ocean uses with conservation. As a DIP, the Hub will bring together diverse disciplines, knowledge systems and knowledge holders to collaboratively advance inclusive, sustainable and just ocean governance through a transdisciplinary toolbox.

In addition to the Decade Contributions, the results also include fourteen Projects, among which are two following a co-sponsored call with the Western Australian Government.

With the aim of advancing community resilience to ocean hazards, the Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme led by IOC/UNESCO will host three new thematic Projects. Complementing each other, these actions focus on real-time early tsunami warning technology, collecting free online data from sea level stations, analyzing fast-traveling sound signals, and enhancing tsunami and climatic preparedness through interdisciplinary construction of tsunami inundation and evacuation maps.

These new endorsements bring the total number of Ocean Decade Actions to 440, implemented on all continents and covering all ocean basins.

The current Call for Decade Actions No. 06/2023 is open until January 31, 2024, aiming to fill gaps in knowledge and capacity development for Africa and Caribbean SIDS through a tailored and inclusive participatory process to co-design Decade Actions that meet local and regional needs. A record 32 endorsed Decade Programs are also inviting Decade Project submissions.

For more information, please contact the Ocean Decade Communications Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.