Date & time: 29 April 2025. 09:30-10:40 CET.

Organizers: UNESCO-IOC in collaboration with the EU4Ocean Coalition

Moderator: Francesca Santoro, UNESCO-IOC Senior Programme Officer (Ocean Literacy)

Keynote speaker: Colm Lordan, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Advisory Committee Chair

Background & objectives

Within the framework of the EU4Ocean Coalition agreement, UNESCO-IOC is organizing a series of dedicated international webinars targeting all EU Sea Basins. These webinars will serve as informative sessions to gather insights, identify needs, and engage the respective sea basin communities in preparation for the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). This is the third and final episode in the series.

The webinar aims to:

• Promote ocean literacy and publicize the Coalition’s work.
• Expand EU4Ocean membership by attracting EU organizations that have yet to join.
• Strengthen international cooperation by involving stakeholders from non-EU UN Member States.
• Foster joint initiatives in the identified regions.
• Promote EU4Ocean’s call for collective action.
• Bring cities on board with the #MakeEUBlue: cities in action campaign.

This will focus on a specific thematic area:

Sustainable Fishing & Energy in the Atlantic Ocean & North Sea/Baltic Sea

Format & target audience

• Format: Online webinars (on Zoom platform) lasting 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Target audience: Different stakeholders including policymakers, researchers, industry representatives, NGOs, and EU organizations engaged in ocean sustainability.

These webinars will seek endorsement as official Ocean Decade Activities, offering new members the opportunity to align with a globally recognized initiative. By fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration, the EU4Ocean Coalition aims to strengthen its impact on ocean literacy and sustainability across all European Sea Basins.

Notes

• All webinars will be simultaneously translated into French, Spanish, and Portuguese
• All webinars will be recorded and made available online after the event