We couldn’t visit all the countries in the region, or the other regions that are present in the conference so encouraged people to send in photos for a photo competition. We were excited to receive a large number of entries and the participants at the Marine Regions Forum conference were able to vote for their favourites via the conference app.

Congratulations to the first place winner, Frank Mirobo:

“Embracing the Community Ownership of the Ocean”

 

Congratulations to the second place winner, Tanguy Nicolas:

“Somanga, Kilwa district, Tanzania”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos of the conference from Empower Limited are available here, but we have picked out a few highlights below too.

7 November: Welcoming address and keynote speakers

8 November

Launchpad

9 November

 

The Marine Regions Forum team together with partners organised two events during the 2022 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) from 27 June – 1 July 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. The UNOC, co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya, had as theme “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions” and aimed to mobilise action to implement sustainable development goal (SDG) 14.
Read more Marine Regions Forum at UN Oceans Conference 2022

The Marine Regions Forum launched a new Policy Brief during the United Nations Ocean Conference 2022 in Lisbon: Sustainable Blue Recovery: Fostering Resilience for Marine Regions. Read more New Policy Brief launched during the UN Ocean Conference 2022

On Wednesday 29 June 2022 (13:00-14:30), the Marine Regions Forum team will host an lunch exchange (invite-only) during the UN Ocean conference in Lisbon for Friends of the Marine Regions Forum at the Tivoli Oriente Lisboa Hotel.

Read more Friends of the Marine Regions Forum – UNOC 2022 – Lunch Exchange

Regional action across boundaries, actors, and sectors is key to conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Sweden is stepping up its engagement by funding the Marine Regions Forum – a dialogue and learning platform for the world’s marine regions in support of ocean governance.

Read more Marine Regions Forum takes the next step

A second workshop dedicated to the role of marine regions in the recovery from COVID-19 took place on Wednesday 6 October 2021, assessing current regional initiatives and discuss conditions for a sustainable blue recovery of marine regions, including through enhanced regional collaboration.

A summary report is available here.

This online workshop builds on the Marine Regions Forum 2019 and the January 2021 webinar Ocean governance and COVID-19 – Building resilience for marine regions.

 

This workshop was funded by:

The Marine Regions Forum Online Workshop on  ‘Ocean Governance and COVID-19 – Building resilience for marine regions’ took place on Thursday, 28 January 2021.

A summary report is available here.

Read more Online Workshop: Ocean Governance and COVID-19 – Building resilience for marine regions

The next decade will be crucial for the health and future of the Ocean. What role can marine regions play in efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? Which approaches have proven successful and what can be done to enhance their coordination?

Drawing on discussions held at the Marine Regions Forum 2019 and the contributions of participants, the conference organisers (IASS, IDDRI and TMG – Think Tank for Sustainability) have formulated eight Key Messages to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the planning of effective measures to protect the oceans.

Read more Key Messages from the Marine Regions Forum 2019 at UN 2020 Ocean Conference preparatory meeting