The meeting is entitled Delivering the science we need for the ocean we want and offers a global forum for governments, experts from different fields, maritime sectors, universities, NGOs, the private sector and the civil society. Forty international speakers of the highest order are expected to take part and the event has already received more than 5,000 requests from people wishing to attend.

The event in Barcelona will have a key role in consolidating the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), also known as the Ocean Decade. Besides the speeches in the official programme, the city will also be hosting over 130 parallel events, based around the care of the marine ecosystem.

Programme open to the public

Parallel activities will be organised around twenty venues at four hubs with strong ties to the sea and science open to public participation:

• Port Hub: includes the Tech Barcelona Pier 01, Port Vell, the Museu Marítim, the World Trade Center and the Fundació Barcelona Capital Nàutica.
• Sea Hub: includes Port Olímpic, the Institut de Ciències del Mar, the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park and the Beach Centre.
• City Hub: includes the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, the Filmoteca, the Tech Barcelona Pier 07, the University of Barcelona, Casa Batlló, the Disseny Hub Barcelona and the Media-TIC.
• Ocean Hub: includes the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) and the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.

Activities include discussion panels, interactive workshops and dialogues, complemented with projects from the City Council, such as a workshop analysing the challenges of the Ocean Decade from a regional and city perspective, at the Institut de Ciències del Mar on 8 April, and looking at topics such as the blue economy, the role of science and the Catalan maritime agenda and innovative initiatives for managing the coast. Those wishing to attend must register in advance and afterwards there’s a visit to the transformation project at the Port Olímpic and a guided tour of the city’s seafront.

Other activities include The Ocean Decade Day (8 April) at the Filmoteca de Catalunya, with a selection of short films giving different visions of the ocean, the exhibition devoted to Chinese nautical technology at the Museu Marítim (from 6 to 14 April) and the symposium on Protected Maritime Zones in the auditorium of the World Trade Centre on 8 and 9 April.

The full programme of parallel activities can be found here.