The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development will help us by providing ocean science, data and information to inform for our policies”, declared Erna Solberg, Norway Prime Minister in her opening speech. maritime spatial planning at the global, regional and local level; Facilitate the development and deployment of innovative technologies and solutions; Support individual and institutional capacity development, especially in least developed countries and Small Island Developing States; Contribute with funding and/or in-kind contribution to the Decade activities; Increase national support towards ocean science, and research relevant infrastructures; Adhere to the principle of free, open and accessible data; Be committed to undertake outreach activities to stimulate international and interdisciplinary collaboration. The Decade will require the engagement of many different stakeholders to create new ideas, solutions, partnerships and applications, these include: scientists, governments, academics, policy makers, business, industry and civil society. Benefit: The Decade will open up access to tools, information and investment needed to create solutions for ocean sustainability and the blue economy. The Decade will support the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A primary focus of the IOC is to enable its Member States to build the scientific and institutional capacity needed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably manage ocean and marine resources by 2030. The announcement was made by Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC’s Executive Secretary during the opening of a side event on Forging Transformative Partnerships for the Decade – co-organized by UNESCO’s IOC and the United Nations Global Compact. During the Planning Phase between 2018 and 2020, the United Nations General Assembly has tasked the IOC with preparing and coordinating the development of an Implementation Plan for the Decade which includes: Member States, through IOC Governing Bodies, will review progress and endorse the Implementation Plan in 2020. Thanks to the Government of Flanders of Belgium, the Government of the United-Kingdom, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology of the Republic of Korea’s support, a Decade brochure, a dedicated website, generic and animated videos as well as communication materials for the consultative and planning meetings were developed. maritime spatial planning at the global, regional and local level; Facilitate the development and deployment of innovative technologies and solutions; Support individual and institutional capacity development, especially in least developed countries and Small Island Developing States; Contribute with funding and/or in-kind contribution to the Decade activities; Increase national support towards ocean science, and research relevant infrastructures; Adhere to the principle of free, open and accessible data; Be committed to undertake outreach activities to stimulate international and interdisciplinary collaboration. Please try again. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has been tasked by the UN General Assembly to work with all interested stakeholders to design a Decade of ocean science that will help us to deliver the ocean we need for the future we want.