UN Ocean Conference 2022

From 27th of June 27 to 1st of July, governments, academia and other stakeholders will get together for the UN Ocean Conference. IAU and UiB will advocate for Higher Education and SDG 14

The UN Ocean Conference of 2022 will take place between 27th June and 1st July, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. Co-hosted by the governments of Portugal and Kenya, the conference will explore global solutions for managing the ocean sustainably. 

The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface and is home to up to 80% of all life on Earth. It also plays an important role in absorbing heat, producing the oxygen we need, and producing food and energy sources. As the “lungs of the planet”, the ocean buffers us from climate change and is suffering unprecedented threats as a result of human activities.

The Conference will promote science-based solutions to help achieve Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Life Below Water. Meanwhile, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021 – 2030 provides a framework for countries to use scientific studies of the ocean in their efforts to sustainably manage the ocean.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) and its flagship initiative for Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD), the IAU Global HESD Cluster, have been advocating for more engagement of higher education with the SDGs. Research and teaching, campus life and community engagement within HEIs are of special importance to SDG 14: Life below Water. You can read the publication here: HIGHER EDUCATION AND SDG 14: Integrating Ocean Research for The Global Goals.

A delegation from the University of Bergen, Cluster Lead for SDG 14 in the IAU HESD Cluster will be attending the UN-Ocean Conference and also represent IAU on site. IAU will engage and mobilize online for the event.

"Scaling up action and building effective partnerships for SDG14: the essential roles of higher education and business"

A joint side event by IAU and UiB, together with TPI and UN DESA, will take place on Monday, 27 June, 16:00-17:15 local time, side event room 2, Altice Arena, Lisbon, Portugal.

More information on the side events programme can be found here.

If you are attending the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, please email contact@iau-hesd.net to connect with higher education representatives on site!

Learn more on the official conference website: https://www.un.org/en/conferences/ocean2022 

Sustainable Development Goals