The Index is expected to launch in 2021. The EU will provide €250 million to support ocean research through the Horizon 2020 innovation programme. In September 2021 the palliative care sector will gather in the beautiful location of Sydney, Australia for the 2021 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference #21OPCC, formerly the Australian Palliative Care Conference.. China and the ocean economy; Sinking capital? Our Ocean Conference Participants Pledge USD 64 Billion to Protect Oceans, US Department of State Press Release on US Commitment, SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Fifth Our Ocean Conference. The Ocean Tracker enables users to track progress on commitments made by European governments, businesses and NGOs on protecting the marine environment. The World Ocean Summit 2021 is dedicated to the issue of how to finance a sustainable ocean economy.. Norway announced the launch of 16 initiatives with over NOK 3 billion in funding to promote sustainable ocean management during the period 2020-2024. The EU will contribute €9.9 million to the Initiative. A group of 30 companies and institutional investors signed the UN Global Compact’s (UNGC) Sustainable Ocean Principles, which aim to secure a healthy and productive ocean. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), DNV GL, Bloomberg Philanthropies and China’s National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center are among those who have joined the Partnership. In an opening address, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Norway “will step up its efforts both nationally and internationally” and called on all countries to do more to support the world’s oceans. According to the European Commission (EC), 80% of the EU’s 77 ocean commitments announced since 2014 have either been fully delivered or are close to completion, including 50% of the commitments made in 2018. The Earth's waters are said to be "under threat as never before", with pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change severely damaging the health of our oceans. NOAA will also support implementation of marine debris action plans to support marine debris prevention, removal and research, including community-based removal projects. The EU announced it will provide €40 million to improve the marine ecosystem worldwide through a partnership programme with countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) regions. Publishing/Marketing/Editing Sessions 2020, Reading Poems as Inspiration & Instruction, with Shara McCallum, Quarantined at the Keyboard: An evening of playing with writing prompts, Available in softcover or for Kindle on Amazon. A number of organizations announced their commitment to join the Thematic Partnership on Maritime Community with a Shared Future and Marine Environment Governance, a partnership announced at the Conference. A group of countries pledged to not provide subsidies to operators or fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing. The Partnership aims to improve environmental outcomes for the ocean through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including by encouraging collaboration in marine governance and promoting research and understanding of marine conservation issues among countries participating in the BRI. The Government of the UK will increase its funding to the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance to GBK70 million and will fund the ‘One Ocean Hub’ in support of SDG 14 (life below water) with GBK20 million. The EU launched the Ocean Tracker, an interactive map first announced in 2017. A group of countries pledged to not provide subsidies to operators or fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing. The US’s cumulative commitment from 2014 to present totals 113 commitments valued at more than USD 4.3 billion. Among the 370 commitments, 22% of commitments (81) focus on the sustainable blue economy theme. The 9 th Annual World Congress of Ocean-2021 (WCO-2021) will be held in Dalian, China during September 27-29, 2021. Møller – Mærsk, CEiiA, Cermaq, Cisco Systems, CoreMarine, DNB Bank ASA, DNV GL, Dow Inc., Empower, Equinor, Gard AS, GIEK — the Norwegian Export Credit Guarantee Agency, Global Sea Mineral Resources, Government Pension Fund Norway, Grieg Maturitas AS, Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, Lloyd’s Register, MAKEEN Energy, The New Zealand King Salmon, Norges Bank Investment Management, Nor-Shipping, Nordic Mining, Norwegian Shipowners Association, Ocean Bottle, PepsiCo, Skretting, StormGeo, TATA NYK and Thorvald Klaveness. Other private sector commitments include: BNP Paribas, which committed to support innovation for a sustainable ocean and to contribute €1 billion by 2025 to finance the ecological transition of maritime transport; and the European Investment Bank, which announced USD 2.75 billion for a Blue Sustainable Ocean Strategy (Blue SOS). The 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference was a United Nations conference that took place on June 5th-9th 2017 which sought to mobilize action for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.. Nike and the Ocean Conservancy announced the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge, which invites companies to commit to not intentionally send ships through the fragile Arctic ecosystem. Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Panama, Taiwan, the US and Uruguay announced this commitment.