The AIR Centre was recently invited to join the Stakeholder Forum in scope of the Portuguese UN Ocean Decade Committee, a recognition of its relevance in promoting the voice of the Atlantic, by the fair cooperation between national and regional organizations that share a common commitment to the Ocean and to their communities.

This is a great opportunity for the AIR Centre, not only as it is engaged in the shared effort to promote transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and the Atlantic Ocean, but also because it can build on its Atlantic network and mobilize various Atlantic stakeholders to the development of solutions that benefit the Atlantic communities and beyond, contributing to its ambition.

The Portuguese National Decade Committee was officially launched in a public event last January 24 in Lisbon. It joins others National Decade Committees, some of them in countries that are Members of the AIR Centre (Brazil, Cabo Verde, Colombia, France, Morocco, Nigeria, Spain and United Kingdom). National Decade Committees are set up in scope of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 with the aim to coordinate, support and increase a country’s participation in the Ocean Decade by mobilizing the whole “ocean community” at the national level. National Decade Committees (NDCs) are critical connectors between the global Ocean Decade and national stakeholders.

The stakeholder forum is composed of representatives from research institutions, governmental entities, non-governmental organizations, civil society and private entities that collaborate with the Committee in developing the activities of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences.