UNOC3 Side Event launches strategic partnership for Ocean Research and Capacity Building
A significant step forward in international marine science cooperation was achieved on June 12 as Portuguese-speaking African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) committed to establishing Centers of Excellence in Marine Sciences. The initiative, presented during the official UNOC3 side event “Strengthening Marine Science and Capacity Building through the Establishment of Centers of Excellence in Portuguese-Speaking African SIDS,” was led by Cabo Verde’s Ministry of the Sea and Instituto do Mar (IMar) with support from the AIR Centre.
The comprehensive partnership brings together four island nations—Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste—alongside UNESCO’s SIDS Section and Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The collaboration aims to leverage existing scientific knowledge, regional infrastructure, and international cooperation to address critical oceanic challenges facing these vulnerable island communities.
The session gathered distinguished participation from key government officials and scientific leaders, underscoring the initiative’s strategic importance. Ministers from three African nations participated: H.E. Jorge Santos, Minister of Sea of Cabo Verde; H.E. Nilda Borges da Mata, Minister of Environment, Youth, Sustainable Tourism of São Tomé and Príncipe; and H.E. Viriato Soares Cassamá, Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action of Guinea-Bissau.
International organizations were represented by Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanography Commission (IOC) and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, and Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The AIR Centre’s Executive Director Miguel Miranda and Yara Rodrigues, Board Member of Instituto do Mar – IMar (Cabo Verde), also participated in the discussions.
The initiative focuses on five strategic areas critical to building sustainable marine science capacity: strategic partnerships for blue science and innovation, youth capacity building with a dedicated focus on gender equality, evidence-based decision making for marine management, enhanced access to marine data and technologies, and fostering community innovation alongside regional cooperation.
The Centers of Excellence are designed to empower these communities with the knowledge, tools, and expertise needed to protect their marine environments while developing sustainable blue economies.
This represents a significant milestone in South-South cooperation, combining regional expertise with international scientific support to address some of the most pressing oceanic challenges facing island nations in the Atlantic and beyond.
Networking Friday with Sheila Heymans (European Marine Board)
On June 12th, 1-2 PM TC, Sheila Heymans used the the EMB – European Marine Board timeline to look at the larger marine science policy landscape in Europe and share her experience with people from other backgrounds and geographies. Sheila is the Executive Director of EMB, Co-chair of the Steering Group and member of the Advisory Committee of EOOS – European Ocean Observation System and Professor in Ecosystem Modelling at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) in Scotland. The moderator was Wendy Watson Wright, inaugural CEO of the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI). Headquartered in Atlantic Canada, former Executive Secretary and Assistant Director General of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) and Founder and CEO of 7 Mile Bay, which is a consulting practice on ocean governance, science, policy, literacy, and other ocean-related issues.
UPDATE #5: Water quality improvement
Networking Friday with Yasser Omar (IST – University of Lisbon)
On June 5th, always at 1-2 PM UTC, we will meet Yasser Omar, Professor at Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisbon. He will present LEA – Listening to the Earth under the Atlantic, a pioneering project aiming at developing real-time sensing at the bottom of the Atlantic, namely to monitor the oceanic environment and its relation to climate change, as well as to sense submarine earthquakes live, opening way to novel and more reliable solutions for the early-warning of tsunamis, civil protection, and coastal resilience. The session will be moderated by Jose Barros, Director of External Affairs of ANACOM, which is the Portuguese National Regulatory Authority for communications.