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Welcome to the COP27 Virtual Ocean Pavilion

This online platform is dedicated to raising the visibility of the ocean and showcasing why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. It aims to increase knowledge, commitment and action for the ocean-climate nexus during and at key events in the run up to the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this November.

The Pavilion aims to:

  1. Continue to raise the profile of the ocean among members of the ocean and climate community as the Virtual Ocean Pavilion did in COP26;
  2. Provide a communication platform for those who are unable to participate in COP27, and other key ocean and climate conferences, in person from various parts of the world;
  3. Address COP27 priorities while promoting the space for ocean in the climate conference; and
  4. Promote cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration on ocean-climate action at the national, regional, and global levels.

Register for free to access live and on–demand content for the ocean of events on the road to COP27, explore virtual exhibition booths and link up with experts to learn more about the ocean and climate connection. For more reasons to attend, click here.

Why Attend?

Join live events. Enjoy unique access to Ocean Pavilion and other live events during and in the lead up to COP27 with high level speakers, UN representatives and ocean and climate experts. Wish to branch out? Here you can also find information about joining other live ocean events happening at COP27.

Explore our exhibition booths. Visit 50 ocean exhibition booths without having to walk, sail or swim anywhere! Leading ocean and climate organizations will share their activities and provide access to a wealth of information you can 'take away' in your virtual delegate bag - as much or little as you like!

Access on-demand events/videos. Dive in and out of a range of COP27 and other events, interviews and films at your convenience from the end of August through the whole of November.

Discover the Treasure Trove. Explore a collection of ocean music, art, games, climate stories from around the world, plus interviews and events.

Engage with experts. Meet with ocean and climate experts who will answer your questions, share their latest activities on ocean issues, and who would love to hear about your ocean interests.

Watch interviews. Fancy a deeper dive into COP27? Choose from a selection of interviews with Party negotiators and key stakeholders and gain a better insight on COP27, the discussion process and status.

Participation

Registration is free and will provide you with online access to live ocean events on 30 August and on 6-18 November and on-demand content from 29 August until 18 December. All you will need is a Wi-Fi connection and a smart phone, tablet, or computer.


Features

This pavilion will:

  1. Host panel sessions linking the ocean with the themes of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue themes to provide input to these discussions (5 live days and over 15 live sessions with Wordly translation into multiple languages);
  2. Showcase national and international initiatives on ocean and climate through 50 exhibits including booths on major ocean-related events in 2022;
  3. Provide multiple opportunities for networking and developing synergies among attendees;
  4. Feature interviews with Party negotiators to gain insights on the status of discussions;
  5. Offer educational and fun features on the platform and in the booths;
  6. Provide a gateway to ocean and climate stories from around the world;
  7. Provide links to other ocean events at and around the COP.

Visitors can explore a virtual exhibition with the option to access background information as well as options on what actions they could take towards a more sustainable blue future. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore a COP27 Life Below Water Treasure Trove with, e.g. on-demand or live-streaming of ocean-related films, music, art, games, health and well-being. Throughout its duration and across its component activities, the VOP will carry key messages reinforcing the link between the ocean and climate agenda.

Gateway to COP27 Ocean Events

We invite you to register your COP27 ocean-related events in the Ocean Events Tracker. Entries will become part of a calendar of ocean events accessible through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion and based on information gathered through the Tracker.

Pavilion Agenda

30 August 2022

9 November 2022

10 November 2022

14 November 2022

16 November 2022

Africa Climate Week

Africa Climate Week (ACW) 2022 will take place from August 29 to September 2 in Gabon, as part of an ongoing series of Regional Climate Weeks on the road to COP27. It is hosted by the Government of Gabon and organized by UN Climate Change in collaboration with global (UN Development Programme, UN Environment Programme and the World Bank Group) and regional (the Africa Union, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and UN Gabon) partners.

ACW 2022 will act as a platform to facilitate collaboration and to explore resilience against climate risks; the transition to a low-emission economy; and partnerships to solve pressing challenges. This is following the recognition of Regional Climate Weeks by the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 as a platform for strengthening government and stakeholder response to climate change and continuing the theme of regional collaboration as a driver of global progress that emerged during COP26. Along with the other Regional Climate Weeks, ACW 2022 will build on the momentum generated during the virtual events of the 2021 Regional Climate Weeks and will continue to provide a voice for regional stakeholders and promote ambitious solutions for advancing climate action, addressing social inequalities and investing in development that is beneficial to both nature and humanity. 

UNFCCC COP27

The UNFCCC COP27 will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, at the Sharm El-Sheikh Convention Center with events taking place on 6-18 November 2022. Egypt's COP27 presidency vision includes recognition of the need for global collaboration toward a bold and expeditious response to the ongoing climate crisis, as the window for action is rapidly closing. COP27 will build on the successes of COP26 and facilitate future ambition by providing stakeholders with the opportunity to come together and take the collaborative political action necessary to take on the challenge of climate change in a meaningful and impactful way for the benefit of the planet and all of humanity. The goals set for the COP by the COP27 presidency include raising ambition to achieve immediate, united action to mitigate global warming to well below 2C and to work to keep the 1.5C target alive; making the necessary progress under the COP26 Global Goal on Adaptation to enhance global climate change resilience and assist the most vulnerable communities worldwide; and following up on existing commitments and pledges to make significant progress on the pressing issue of climate finance, which is essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and for meeting the needs of developing countries.

Through the COP27 legacy, Africa aims to highlight the leadership role that it has taken in climate action by showcasing its contributions to the global movement to fight climate change; its commitment to facilitating and mobilizing climate action; and its vision of a just and sustainable future for the people of Africa and the world.

Refresh Our View of the Ocean

The Virtual Ocean Pavilion offers Party and non-Party stakeholders an opportunity to take a fresh view at and learn more about cross-sectoral mechanisms for collaboration and cooperation on ocean and climate issues and in developing appropriate action and innovative solutions, especially from the outcomes of the major ocean-related events in 2022. These include:

  1. One Ocean Summit, Brest, France, 9-11 February 2022;
  2. 7th Our Ocean Conference, Palau, 13-14 April 2022;
  3. UN Ocean Conference, Lisbon, 27 June-1 July 2022;
  4. Fourth and fifth sessions of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (IGC4, 7–18 March 2022 and IGC5, 15-26 August 2022);
  5. Convention on Biological Diversity 15th Conference of the Parties (Part 1, 11-15 October 2021-virtual and Part 2, 5-17 December 2022);
  6. International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022);
  7. World Maritime Day, 29 September 2022; and
  8. UNFCCC COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, 6-18 November 2022.

Co-organizers, Collaborating Partners, and Sponsors

Co-organized by the Global Ocean Forum, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, One Ocean Hub, and the Ocean & Climate Platform, in collaboration with many other partners from across the globe.

The co-organizers are welcoming sponsors as well as additional partners. Contacts: Miriam Balgos and Thecla Keizer

Why an Ocean Pavilion?

The ocean has greatly slowed the rate of climate change, but at a cost: the ocean has warmed, acidified and lost oxygen, whilst circulation patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. The continuation of these changes not only threatens marine ecosystems, but also the future ability of the ocean to support life on Earth. Despite this, the ocean offers a range of key mitigation and adaptation opportunities for nations to combat climate change and increase ambition on emissions reduction and to ensure that the ocean can be developed sustainably for the benefits it provides to people around the world.

The ocean and climate are intrinsically linked, one cannot function without the other, and yet the ocean has lacked any real seat at the table under the UNFCCC climate negotiations. Without this essential piece of the puzzle, climate ambition will be hindered, and the ocean crisis will worsen. Furthermore, since the majority of the global ocean has no “owners” (and therefore no representative or voice of its own like nations) but covers 72% of the world’s surface and over 90% of the living space on the planet, then it should have a pavilion all of its own and thus make that point that it is central to life on Earth. In order to give it a voice, it needs a prominent presence at the climate negotiations in its own right.

A dedicated Ocean Pavilion would raise the visibility of the ocean and showcase why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet – not surprisingly the ocean transcends across all the COP27 Presidency themes in a unified way like no other topic, from finance to energy to nature, land, resilience, industry, transport, to cities and science and innovation.


Why Virtual?

As the ocean concerns everyone, the Virtual Ocean Pavilion has the capability of engaging and reaching those that cannot attend COP27 in-person and presents a long-lasting resource for all – leaving no one behind.

A virtual presence during COP27 will ensure that the Pavilion will be:


Frequently Asked Questions

Add Settings
The COP27 Virtual Ocean Pavilion is an online platform which aims to raise the visibility of the ocean and showcase why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. A virtual format ensures that the Pavilion is able to respond to changes in the COP27 schedule as affected by the current pandemic and will reach a much wider audience than just those able to attend COP27.
No, you will only need access to the internet.
You will be able to explore many of the great features that the pavilion offers (a User Guide is available within the VOP platform):
  • Join live panel sessions
  • Explore our ocean exhibition
  • Access on-demand events/videos
  • Watch interviews
  • Discover the Treasure Trove
  • Engage with experts
Access to events will be online and you can participate anywhere that you have Internet access with the events accessible from desktop, mobile and tablet devices.
Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Yes.
Yes. Similar to a “cart”, you will be able to add documents to your “Delegate Bag” and email the content to yourself.
A Delegate Bag is a virtual briefcase where you can save documents from a booth. You can access files in your Delegate Bag for 2 weeks after the event and email them to yourself or others.
Contact the Pavilion Secretariat (johanna@globaloceanforum.com) or email [vFairs contact] for any technical assistance
Yes via on-demand. Events will be open for the entire duration of the pavilion (30 August – 18 November 2022) but with access to on-demand resources until 18 December 2022.
Your login details will be emailed to you ahead of the event.
You will be able to chat with exhibition booth organizers during designated times. For any questions, contact the Pavilion Secretariat [johanna@globaloceanforum.com].
Yes. Only the exhibitor you are chatting with will be able to see your messages.
No.
Photo credits: Aerial view of a cargo ship (Cameron Venti / Ocean Image Bank); Fluorescing and bleached reef in New Caledonia (2016) (The Ocean Agency / Ocean Image Bank); Flock of Flamingos Feeding in Shallow Lake (Antony Trivet / Pexels); Boy and Woman in Hat in Wooden Sail Boat (Kenza Loussouarn / Pexels); Buildings and Houses on Green Mountains Near the Sea (Taryn Elliott / Pexels); Green Legacy, Sharam Square, Sharm El-Sheikh (UNFCCC CO27) ; Gray and Silver School of Fish Underwater Photography (Peter Simmons / Pexels); Woman in Blue Dress on Brown Boat on Water (Ravena Lages / Pexels); Three Brown Sailing Boats Surrounded by Body of Water (Jonas Ferlin / Pexels); Scenic View Of Ocean During Golden Hour (Nathan Cowley / Pexels); Grass Beside the Sea (Melanie Wupperman / Pexels)“; school of fish (The Ocean Agency / Ocean Image Bank)”