Seychelles' President to participate in the United Nations Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona

Ramkalawan was nominated as one of the two patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance at the One Ocean Summit in February 2022.

The President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, will participate in the upcoming United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, in his capacity as one of the Patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance, State House said on Monday.

The conference will take place from April 10 to April 12 and will bring together the global Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate and take stock of progress, and set joint priorities for the future. It will be the highlight of an entire Ocean Decade Week from April 8 to 12 throughout the city. 

The Ocean Decade was a decision of the 2017 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, officially launched in January 2021. It provides a convening framework for a wide range of stakeholders across the world to engage and collaborate outside their traditional communities to trigger nothing less than a revolution in ocean science.

Following the UN Decade Conference, Ramkalawan will proceed to Athens, Greece to attend the 9th Ocean Conference from April 15 to 17 being held under the theme "Our Ocean, An Ocean of Potential."

The Our Ocean Conference initiative began in 2014 and is aimed to draw international attention to the serious threats facing the world's oceans and to take concrete action around the globe to support marine conservation and sustainable development.

2024 is the 10^th anniversary of the first inauguration of the Our Ocean Conference in the United States. The principal goal of this action-oriented conference is to boost ambitious commitments and actions and muster all stakeholders for the noble cause of assuring clean and healthy oceans and seas.