Ocean sand: risks and opportunities for sustainability and equity

Held in the margins of the UN Ocean Conference, this side event aims to put sand on the ocean sustainability agenda and identify promising scientific, technical and policy opportunities for sand stewardship. Panelists will discuss the importance of sand in the ocean economy, the impacts of its extraction on ecosystems and coastal communities, the role of financial institutions in incentivising better practices, as well as promising breakthroughs in monitoring and impact assessments. Particular attention will be paid to the equity dimension of ocean sand and need for international partnerships for better sand resource governance. 

The event is organised by UNEP-GRID/Geneva and the Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm University). It is co-hosted with the Stockholm Resilience Centre, UNEP’s Finance Initiative and the UN Global Compact.

Time: 09:00-10:30 UTC+1

Location: Lisbon Exhibition & Congress Centre, Room 5, 7 minutes walk from Altice Arena & online. 

Refreshments (a light breakfast) and an opportunity for networking will be offered from 09:00 UTC+1.

To register to attend online, click here: https://bit.ly/3mYbdC4. 

To attend in-person, please visit: https://bit.ly/3banqkD. 

Sand is the world’s second most exploited resource and must be wisely managed to avoid major social and environmental risks. Learn more in the 'Sand and Sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis' report.