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66 | TRANSITION AND SOLUTIONS

“Let’s develop shared visions and
paths to achieve the future we IN
want for nature and society! ”
William Cheung, expert at IPBES SIGHT

SUPPORTED BY SCIENCE
The rise of blue diplomacy

Brought together by the Ocean & Climate Platform and the Monaco

Scientific Centre, international experts discussed measures to ensure
a healthy and resilient ocean.

This meeting, held on 26 March 2021 during Monaco sions from the World Ocean Assessment in the glo-
Ocean Week, brought together 14 experts in natural, bal political arena. Links between ocean regeneration
social and political sciences, to defend their vision of and the hydrosphere were underlined by the experts,
ocean governance. The scientists emphasised the who are very positive about synergy between climate
central role of the ocean in the planet’s ecosystem, sciences, oceans and the Earth. “We’re running out
whilst pointing out the poor understanding of changes of time to manage the ocean sustainably. We need a
it faces. In terms of governance, the piecemeal nature social contract for oceanography to achieve this tar-
of ocean-related decision-making bodies make mat- get by the end of the decade”, concluded Vladimir
ters more complex and delay action to protect it. Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmen-
tal Oceanographic Commission and Assistant Direc-
tor General of UNESCO.
AN “OCEAN IPCC”

Against this backdrop, and as part of the launch of the FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustai-
nable Development, the deputy chair of the Ocean & The second session of the meeting in Monaco was
Climate Platform (OCP) - Françoise Gaill - envisaged moderated by Sylvie Goyet, adviser to the deputy
the creation of an “ocean IPCC”: an Intergovernmen- chair of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
tal Panel on Ocean Change (IPOC). Embodying the It was an opportunity to promote political, economic
interdisciplinary vision of this new entity, the event and scientific initiatives involved in unified and sustai-
in Monaco encouraged the OCP to build this vision, nable ocean management, at an international, regio-
bridging the gap between science and politics and nal and local level. IDDRI experts deemed it wiser to
giving the ocean the status of a “global common keep the current ocean governance system and learn
good”. The IPOC could also lend weight to conclu- to better navigate it, rather than rethink it.