Our Ocean Conference

In March 2023, the Republic of Panama will become the first Central American country to host the Our Ocean Conference. Under the theme Our Ocean…Our Connection, the Government of Panama will highlight the importance of knowledge as the basis of our actions and policies to ensure protection of our oceans, responsible management of marine resources, and sustainable future economic growth.

The 8th Our Ocean Conference will create a space for collaborative dialogue between Heads of State, private sector, civil society, and academic institutions to discuss how we can save our marine resources, promote sustainable use, and educate the public about our ocean.

The Conference will seek to highlight the importance of creating marine protected areas (MPAs), growing sustainable blue economies and tourism, and finding innovative solutions to end marine pollution.

The UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat will host a side event titled Regional Cooperation for the protection and sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea through adoption of regional strategies and action plans, and implementation of integrated national and community-based solutions on marine pollution prevention and marine habitat conservation.

The event will be co-hosted by the Secretariat's 4 Regional Activity Centres (RAC) - Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA in Trinidad and Tobago) and Centre of Research and Environmental Management of Transport (CIMAB in Cuba) for marine pollution, RAC for marine biodiversity (SPAW RAC in Guadeloupe), RAC REMPEITC Caribe (Curacao) for Oil Spills - and the Caribbean Regional Node for the Global Partnership on Marine Litter.

Event page: https://ouroceanpanama2023.gob.pa/about-the-conference/.