STRONG High Seas at the BIENNALE OF LUANDA 2021

The STRONG High Seas project was invited to take part in the Forum IV “Harnessing the Potential of Oceans for Sustainable Development and Peace” on November 30, 2021 as part of the Biennale of Luanda 2021 – “Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace” organized in partnership between UNESCO, the Government of Angola and the African Union.

This forth Forum aimed to offer the opportunity to mobilize stakeholders to ensure that Africa harnesses ocean science and research to prevent conflicts and to make the best use of its blue economy potential and also to explore progress in the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001).

Session 1 of the Forum was opened by Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko (African Union Commission) and moderated by Hubert Gijzen (UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa).

Afterwards the pre-recorded presentations of the five panelists were shown. Suzan Kholeif (National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt) explained the Regional Implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and linkages to the African Decade of Oceans and Seas; Ademola Ajagbe (BirdLife International) presented on behalf of the STRONG High Seas project impacts, lessons learnt and best practices of the project in the Southeast Atlantic region; Dr. Claudia Delgado (Ocean Teacher Global Academy – OTGA) talked about  delivering IOC capacity development for the ocean we need for the future we want; Daniel Simba (Department for Marine Spatial Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Angola) presented the project Marine Spatial Management (MARISMA) and the Enabling Sustainable Ocean Use in the Benguela current region; and Sachooda Ragoonaden (UNESCO) presented the Sandwatch Project on Mauritius.

The presentations were followed by a short Q & A between the panelists and youth leaders.

A recording of the session can be watched on the website of the Biennale of Luanda 2021 (Forum 4 – Session 1 starting from 04:59:40 of the recording)