Conference 2019

The first Marine Regions Forum conference was held in 2019.

We are pleased to announce that the Key Messages from the Marine Regions Forum 2019 and the comprehensive Conference Report are now available here.

The summary report by IISD reporting services is available here.

Participants of the Marine Regions Forum 2019. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis

Overview

The Marine Regions Forum 2019 took place for the first time from 30 September – 02 October 2019 in Berlin, Germany. The overarching theme of the conference was

 “Achieving a healthy ocean – Regional ocean governance beyond 2020”.

The conference provided a unique space for decision-makers, scientists and civil-society actors from the world’s different marine regions to discuss and showcase impactful collaborative solutions for ocean health.

The purpose was to develop clear recommendations, catalyze actionable outputs, and build partnerships for stronger regional ocean governance in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water”.

The initiative goes back to commitments by Germany and the European Union made 2017 at the UN Ocean Conference in New York and the Our Ocean Conference in Malta respectively, announcing their support in establishing a multi-stakeholder platform for regional ocean governance. The Marine Regions Forum is a contribution to the Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG), a collaborative initiative between scientific institutions and UN Environment.

To learn more about the concept behind the Marine Regions Forum, click here.

To access and download the conference programme, click here.

Conference outputs will be made available on this website and announced via the newsletter of the Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG).