Heads of States and government from 65 countries gathered in Paris to mark the end of the First World War and attended the Paris Peace Forum after the Remembrance Day ceremony led by French President Emmanuel Macron. Selected to present challenges related to regional ocean governance, the PROG team joined the world leaders in the Peace Forum held in Paris, France from 11 to 13 November 2018.
At the Forum, the PROG partners, IASS, IDDRI and UN Environment, presented the ongoing activities to the guests including the STRONG High Seas and the Marine Regions Forum projects. On 11 November 2018, Dr. Julien Rochette (IDDRI) delivered a presentation of the PROG to the Presidents of Croatia, Slovenia, Iceland and Finland and exchanged ideas on the options to better manage marine resources. On 12 November, Dr. Lisa Svensson (UN Environment) gave a speech on regional ocean governance and discussed opportunities and challenges with Forum’s participants. On 13 November, Dr. Julien Rochette participated to a “fish bowl” event, discussing the role regional organisations could play in the implementation of the future global agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas.
The Paris Peace Forum focused on innovative solutions on five themes: peace and security, the environment, development, the inclusive economy and new technologies. 120 governance solutions from 42 countries were presented at the Forum. Diverse range of stakeholders and guests participated in the forum across the world. Unique formats were used to engage participants such as 3-day hackathon, debates, project pitches and braindates. The next Paris Peace Forum is expected to be held in 2019.