📅 13 – 14 April 2022
Koror, Palau
President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry announced that the seventh Our Ocean Conference has been rescheduled to April 13-14, 2022. This decision comes after careful consultation with public health officials regarding the global surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The Our Ocean Conference will remain an in-person event, and Palau looks forward to hosting this important gathering in April,” said President Whipps. “The challenges facing our ocean and our climate continue, as does the global momentum behind finding solutions that benefit people and nature alike. The seventh Our Ocean Conference will be a major moment for ocean-climate action,” said Secretary Kerry. “We encourage significant new commitments to protect our ocean, our people, and our planet.”
The Republic of Palau is the first small island developing state (SIDS) to host the Our Ocean Conference. The conference’s theme is “Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity,” which draws on Palau’s rich tradition as an ocean society and focuses on islander perspectives and approaches to ensuring the health of our ocean. The 7th Our Ocean Conference will be a key moment for countries, civil society, and industry to commit to concrete and significant actions to protect the ocean.
Each panel discussion at Our Ocean Conference 2022 will reflect the broader theme to amplify traditional ocean conservation knowledge and highlight vulnerable ocean communities. Threats to the ocean directly impact ocean ecosystems and threaten peoples’ livelihoods around the globe. Impacts can be especially devastating to places like Palau and other small island developing states, where the ocean is a primary source of sustenance.
Protecting the ocean, the people, and the prosperity for today and future generations.
Throughout the six previous conferences, participants have made 1,400 commitments worth US$91.4 billion and protected at least five million square miles of ocean. Because commitments are only as meaningful as their implementation, tracking progress and celebrating completion are important elements of the conference and complement its focus on significant new commitments.
Building Generation Ocean
The ocean is deeply rooted in the cultures, identities, and histories of ocean people. But this connection to the ocean must be nurtured with each generation to ensure that we protect life in the ocean. Our Ocean 2020 will highlight the contributions of youth to resetting humanity’s relationship with the ocean and showcase youth-led entrepreneurial and innovative ideas for ocean action. The beginning of the UN Decade for Ocean Science in 2021 also promises to ensure that ocean action is guided by the best science.
As the world learns even more about the ocean, the world understands that it needs to combine conservation with sustainable use, and that action safeguards the ocean for tomorrow.
