Our Ocean
An Ocean of Potential
GREECE APRIL 15 - 17, 2024
9th Our Ocean Conference Greece 2024
The ocean plays a key role in human existence; it is essential for our survival, well-being and prosperity. It provides food, regulates our climate, and generates most of the oxygen we breathe. It also serves much of the world’s economy, supporting sectors from tourism to fisheries and to international shipping while it is connected to our culture and is a major source of inspiration. However, the health of seas and the ocean, and of marine ecosystems in particular, is threatened by unsustainable practices such as discharges of wastewater and marine litter, unregulated and unreported fishing, unsustainable shipping and tourism activities. To mitigate the negative impacts from human interventions and improve the current state of our oceans, it is essential to join efforts on a global scale.
Collaboration among nations, NGOs, private entities, academia, professional groups, civil society organizations and more, is of paramount importance for implementing effective solutions, fostering sustainable practices, and safeguarding the delicate equilibrium of our oceans.
Attendance to the conference is by invitation only and is extended exclusively to representatives from countries, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, academia, philanthropists, and the private sector, with a dedicated commitment to the protection of the ocean. If your organization aligns with this focus, we welcome you to submit a detailed description of your organization, along with information about the delegation and the delegate’s position within the organization.
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
SUSTAINABLE BLUE ECONOMIES
CLIMATE
CHANGE
MARITIME
SECURITY
SUSTAINABLE
FISHERIES
MARINE
POLLUTION
AREAS OF ACTION
The Focus Areas identified by Greece for the 9th Our Ocean Conference are four, namely Sustainable Tourism in coastal areas and islands; Green Shipping; Plastic and Microplastic Pollution; and the Green transition in the Mediterranean Sea, all of them fully align with the aforementioned six Areas of Action of the OCCur Ocean Conference
OUR COMMITMENTS
A key objective of all Our Ocean Conferences is to foster collaborative efforts and encourage the submission of clear and measurable voluntary commitments anchored in the six Areas of Action (including the 4 key focus areas), aiming at the protection and sustainable management of our seas and oceans and their resources.
Their goal is to develop new commitments that can be translated into impactful actions for the well-being of our seas and oceans, and assess the progress made towards the achievement of previous commitments.
All participating entities and organizations are invited to submit their new commitments ahead of the Conference.
OUR COMMITMENTS
A key objective of all Our Ocean Conferences is to foster collaborative efforts and encourage the submission of clear and measurable voluntary commitments anchored in the six Areas of Action (including the 4 key focus areas), aiming at the protection and sustainable management of our seas and oceans and their resources.
Their goal is to develop new commitments that can be translated into impactful actions for the well-being of our seas and oceans, and assess the progress made towards the achievement of previous commitments.
All participating entities and organizations are invited to submit their new commitments ahead of the Conference.
OUR AGENDA
The Conference is scheduled to take on the 16th and 17th of April. The Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit will be held parallel to the main conference, starting the day before, on the 15th of April.
SIDE EVENTS APPLICATION
Side Events aim to discuss topics regarding the ocean and raise awareness for its protection. You are welcome to submit an application to present a Side Event.
WELCOME TO GREECE
Welcome to Greece, the crossroad of three continents in the Mediterranean Sea where culture, people and civilizations meet. Greece has more than 15,000 kilometers of coastline, thousands of islands and a long standing tradition as a maritime nation. Still today the shipping industry together with tourism are the country’s two most important economic sectors.
For Greece, preserving marine biodiversity and ecosystems is crucial, given the extensive coastal areas and islands which render effective controls over pollution and overfishing challenging.
It is important that we take all the necessary political, legal, and technical actions to preserve coastal communities and marine natural resources and ensure that the economic growth is sustainable and inclusive for all our citizens and for the generations to come. The promotion of the Blue Economy, through improving fishing practices, greening maritime transport, promoting sustainable tourism, and developing environmentally sound offshore renewable energy, is an essential priority as a means to achieve our SDG goals and safeguard prosperity for our current and future societies.
The Conference is scheduled to take place in Athens, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
