2024 will mark the fourth year of implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Under the leadership of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Ocean Decade has already galvanized thousands of partners around the world to start delivering the science we need for the ocean we want.

The time is now ripe to address key questions related to the Ocean Decade: What have been the main achievements since the launch of the Ocean Decade? What should be the key areas for action over the next three to five years?

Focused on ‘delivering the science we need for the ocean we want’, the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, which will be hosted by the Government of Spain in Barcelona from 10 - 12 April 2024, will bring together the global Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate and take stock of progress, and set joint priorities for the future.

An important milestone on the path to 2030, the event will cover the full range of Ocean Decade Challenges including critical issues such as climate change, food security, sustainable management of biodiversity, sustainable ocean economy, pollution, and natural hazards.

Over three days from the 10 - 12 April, the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will create a new foundation to strengthen the sustainable management of the ocean and drive science-based innovation, from global to local, leaving no one behind.

In the lead up to the Conference, partners will also have the opportunity to complement the official Conference programme through Satellite Events. Applications for Satellite Events will close on 30 October 2023.