December 3, 2023 | 8 am - 9 am
Ocean Pavillion, Blue Zone*, COP28
This Davos-style discussion, hosted by the Friends of the Ocean and Climate, will feature Parties and the actions they are taking to integrate the ocean as part of the response to climate change and set the stage for negotiations at COP28 to advance the ocean-climate nexus in the UNFCCC and beyond.
The ocean is an important source of solutions to the climate crisis. However, despite the clear interrelationship between climate change and the ocean, the ocean-climate nexus continues to be missing from several UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) processes. The synthesis report from the technical dialogue of the first global stocktake notes that “more action is needed now, on all fronts and by all actors, if the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement are to be met.” The ocean must be a key element of the response to climate change if we are to keep the 1.5° C goal alive and prevent the worse consequences of climate change. Thus, it is important to increase ambition for the inclusion of the ocean in National Determined Contributions (NDCs), Nationally Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and other climate communications and to work toward including ocean-climate metrics in the GST.
Event Programmme
Welcome Remarks
- Peter de Menocal, President, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Opening Remarks
- Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean
Keynote
- Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji
- Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, European Commission
Moderated Panel Discussion
- H.E Rohey John Manjang, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment of The Gambia
- H.E Elizabeth Taylor Jay, Vice-Minister of Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombia
- Sue Biniaz, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, United States
- Niall O’Dea, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
- Kacky Andrews, Chief Strategy Officer, Ocean Conservancy
* Accreditation to the Blue Zone at COP28 is required to attend this event.