Are you interested in learning more about how you might benefit from and contribute to activities related to the Ocean Decade Arctic Action Plan? Would you like to play a role in shaping how activities related to the Plan are structured in the future? Can you help make sure that relevant voices are heard in this process? Join the Advancing Arctic Observation and Data Actions within the U.N. Ocean Decade Plan to continue the conversation, virtually or in-person at ASSW.
This event will serve as a forum for discussing how to implement the Ocean Decade - Arctic Action Plan, specifically focusing on how to advance observing and data actions within the Arctic/UNDOS plan.
The UN has declared a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘Ocean Decade’, UNDOS) for 2021-2030. In June 2021, the Ocean Decade - Arctic Action Plan was published. As the document reads, the “…target group for the Plan is broad, including the general global public and Arctic Indigenous and local Peoples but it is also relevant for strategic work that supports ocean science…” and “…the rights holders and other stakeholders are key actors in the global Ocean Decade given their role as decision makers at diverse jurisdictional levels, and are thus expected to take the initiative forward…” (10).
The plan identifies three types of challenges: research challenges, organizational challenges, and uptake challenges. One of the solutions suggested is to “observe the state of Arctic environments and development trends in near-real time supported by information services that are tailored to the needs of Indigenous peoples, science, environmental management and industry. This includes co-designed sustained observation programmes…” and, among other things, the “establishment of a distributed pan-Arctic observation programme.”
This event will serve as an opportunity to further discuss:
- how implementation of these solutions can be undertaken, specifically in reference to Arctic observation and data;
- mechanisms for evaluating and addressing the progress of the Arctic Action Plan, such as that currently undertaken by IASC in the form of the development of a task force
- possible input that may be provided to such a task force, once developed
- aspects that need broader community buy-in in order to prioritize initial concrete, actionable activities
- how to address the challenge of predicting future change in a way that meets stakeholder needs
Please see the background documents related to the workshop for more information.
Registration
Registration is encouraged but not required at the registration page.
If you are unable to attend the workshop, but would like to offer input or be included in future events related to this topic, please fill out the registration form and select “I am not able to attend, but would like to be included in future communications about the Ocean Decade Arctic process”.
Participants may join in person in Tromsø, or remotely. The organizers recognize the challenges for many participants given the time zone differences, so the plenary sessions of the workshop will be recorded for any who are unable to attend. This will also be the first of multiple sessions oriented around prioritizing actions and activities related to the Ocean Decade Arctic Action Plan.
The first hour of the session will be a designated "watch party" of pre-recorded presentations giving background on the Ocean Decade, the Arctic Action Plan and key Arctic research initiatives. You may also opt to watch these recordings on your own time prior to the workshop; links to recordings will be provided closer to the workshop date. The remaining three hours of each session will consist of a mixture of breakout rooms and plenary discussion.