The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, promoted by UNESCO, will be inaugurated today in Barcelona with the presence of more than 1,500 representatives of science, governments, NGOs and the private sector. Over three days, the Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB) will be the scene of numerous meetings that will serve to evaluate the achievements of the UNESCO Ocean Decade (which began in 2021) and shape the major challenges that must be overcome to lay the foundations for ocean protection by the end of the decade.
In parallel to the official conference, this event is triggering numerous collaboration proposals, such as the one promoted by the TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary foundation, which made public yesterday its initiative to launch the Ocean Union, which aims to be an international alliance to bring together agents from the artistic and cultural, scientific, associative and business worlds to involve these sectors in safeguarding the seas.
“This is an initiative to regroup and reinforce all the efforts of the public and private sectors in the cultural world in defense of the oceans,” explain its promoters.
More than fifteen representatives of cultural foundations, institutions and companies were summoned yesterday to a first meeting to invite them to get involved in promoting the union. The desire is to promote effective and fair policies that make the oceans more resilient to climate change. The TBA21 foundation is based in Madrid; Created in 2002 by philanthropist Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, it works with an important calendar of exhibitions and public and educational programs. But it also has a research area where the ocean and aquatic ecosystems are related to artistic production and the defense of the environment. Its intention is now to give new impetus to new forms of knowledge that arise from exchanges between art, science, politics and conservation.
This institution has been commissioned by the French Government to participate in the United Nations Ocean Conference to be held in Nice. “We want to gather public and private support from the world of culture and raise awareness among citizens of the threats to which the oceans are subjected,” says TBA21. The union's mission will be to promote practices that "benefit the health of the oceans", ensure that the "benefits of marine conservation are equitably distributed among interested parties" (fishing communities or artisanal fishermen) or "improve the working conditions of workers ”.
Meanwhile, its director general, Audrey Azoulay, as well as representatives from different countries will speak at the opening of the UNESCO conference today, including the president of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves; that of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan; the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, and Prince Albert II of Monaco. There will also be the Catalan president, Pere Aragonès; the Minister of Science, Diana Morant, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni.
The conference (which concludes on Friday) will produce a declaration that, although it will not be binding on countries, will serve to update scientific proposals on ocean protection. The conclusions will also be a key contribution to the Nice conference.
On the other hand, Prince Albert II of Monaco participated yesterday in Barcelona in the presentation of the new expedition The Mediterranean Missions of the Monaco Explorations project (which will focus on marine protected areas), as well as in the inauguration of the exhibition It's time to perform in Port Vell. Likewise, until April 14, Port Vell will be the scene of various educational activities and workshops aimed at young people. In collaboration with the Royal Yacht Club of Barcelona, these activities will be carried out aboard the Tuiga, a yacht belonging to the Club Nàutic de Monaco and ambassador of the principality. Monaco Explorations is a platform led by Prince Albert II focused on the study and protection of the ocean.
