UN Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum

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Co-hosted by the governments of Portugal and Kenya, the UN Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum is in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition and Sustainable Ocean Alliance. It is in cooperation with CEiiA, the Municipality of Cascais, Nova School of Business and Economics (NOVA SBE), and is supported by UN DESA. 

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About the Forum

From June 24-26, 2022, over one hundred youth delegates from around the world came together at the UN Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum with a shared goal: to protect the ocean. The Forum was a unique opportunity for young people to contribute to the implementation of SDG 14, all in alignment with the 2022 UN Ocean Conference theme: 

Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.

SDG 14 : Life Below Water

The goals of the Forum are to:

  • Feature youth-led solutions that address 2020 SDG 14 targets
  • Provide participants training, mentorship, investor connections, and networking
  • Highlight the importance of a science-driven approach to businesses and policies
  • Engage young leaders as key drivers for change
  • Give youth the opportunity to contribute to the UN Ocean Conference political process
  • Support youth participants in creating solutions to challenges around the Five Tipping Points for a Healthy and Productive Ocean

The Forum included an "Innovathon," where teams of five participants worked together to create and propose new ocean solutions. All in-person seminars, workshops, and panel discussions were live-streamed, so that people around the world who aren’t attending in person could still watch and participate. On Sunday, the closing plenary featured high-level speakers and VIPs.

Ultimately, youth will leave the Forum with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration they need to advance the fight to protect the ocean. This event will also bring critical media attention to the importance of the ocean when it comes to combating climate change.

Join the conversation on social media by using the official hashtags: #SaveOurOcean #SDG14 #OceanAction #GenerationRestoration!

Forum Location

The Forum took place at the Nova School of Business & Economics in Cascais, Portugal from June 24-26, 2022. For further questions, please visit the FAQ page linked below.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Forum Agenda


16:30-16:45: Welcoming and opening remarks

16:45-17:30: "Setting expectations for the UN Ocean Conference, and mobilizing action on SDG 14" (Panel discussion featuring Ron Tardiff, Khadija Stewart, and Pierre Rousseau)

17:45-18:30: "Introduction of Policy and Innovation in Action" (Panel discussion featuring Shannon Cosentino-Roush, Hannah Brocke, Pauline Owiti, and Gideon Sarpong)

18:30-19:00: Closing remarks and weekend overview

19:30-22:00: Welcome cocktail reception

Featured Delegates

View the complete list of delegates here

Tiago Pires da Cruz

PORTUGAL

Maria Ermida

PORTUGAL

Ela Gokcigdem

TURKEY

Rahma Kivugo

KENYA

Ailars David Lema

TANZANIA

Abbas Mahmoud

KENYA

Pamela Nicole Mejia

PHILIPPINES

Alise Skaar

NORWAY

Innovathon Judges

H.E. Nadia Ahmed Abdalla 

Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth of Kenya

H.E. José Maria Costa

Secretary of the State for the Sea of Portugal

Dianne Dain

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Today

Geir Håøy

Chief Executive Officer, Kongsberg

Janis Searles Jones

Executive Director, Ocean Conservancy

H.E. Nancy Karigithu

CBS, Principal Secretary 

State Department of Shipping and Maritime of Kenya

Dr. Makenzie Lystrup

Vice President and General Manager,Civil Space & Environmental Intelligence, Ball Aerospace

Dr. Vladimir Ryabinin

Executive Secretary, IOC-Unesco and the Ocean Decade

Nigel Topping

UN Climate Change High-Level Champion at COP26

Daniel Traça

Dean of the Nova School of Business and Economics

Featured Speakers

Shannon Cosentino-Roush

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, FINLESS FOODS

Pauline Owiti

YOUTH POLICY ADVISOR, SUSTAINABLE OCEAN ALLIANCE

Patricia Furtado de Mendonça

FOUNDER & CEO, ACQUA MATER

Tara Roberts

STORYTELLING EXPLORER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Diva Amon

MARINE BIOLOGIST, BENIOFF OCEAN INITIATIVE AT UCSB

Vincent Doumeizel

UN GLOBAL COMPACT & LLOYD'S REGISTER FOUNDATION

Daniela V. Fernandez

FOUNDER & CEO, SUSTAINABLE OCEAN ALLIANCE

Featured Mentors

Brad Ack 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CIO, OCEAN VISIONS

Manuel Barange

DIRECTOR, FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE, FAO

Hannah Brocke

CO-FOUNDER & COO, planblue

Sander des Tombe 

DUTCH MARINE ENERGY AMBASSADOR

Taylor Goelz

PROGRAM MANAGER, ASPEN INSTITUTE

Kortney Opshaug

CEO, BLUE OCEAN GEAR

Nina Pardo

SMALL SCALE FISHERIES CAMPAIGN MANAGER, 

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND


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