The Purpose of the National Decade Committees

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation that can reverse declines in the state of the ocean system while catalysing new opportunities for sustainable ocean use.

The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to foster a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

The Ocean Decade Implementation Plan offers a coordination framework to coordinate and promote the Decade globally and in all regions, leaving no one behind and to empower stakeholders to engage, plan, and implement Decade actions in a spirit of co-design and co-delivery.

As part of this framework, National Decade Committees will be essential elements to engage national stakeholders and facilitate national contributions to the Decade as well as to promote awareness and interest. These voluntary and multi-stakeholder platforms will be key in linking national action to the international Ocean Decade framework.