Seven of the newly endorsed Decade Actions are innovative postdoctoral research projects with a focus on science-based interventions for coastal livelihood preservation and resilience. They are the result of a joint call for fellows launched by the AXA Research Fund and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission as part of the Ocean Decade. The topics range from flooding, tsunami risk, sustainable fisheries to the involvement of local communities in the development of adaptation strategies. Specialists in oceanography, hydrology, biology, engineering, anthropology and socio-ecology, the researchers hail from six countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe.

The five other endorsed projects address diverse, priority issues as part of the Ocean Decade related to marine ecosystem restoration; climate change in the Arctic; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; ocean innovation through education and support to startups; and gender equality.

From Mexico to the United States, Sierra Leone and the Philippines, the 12 new Actions are led primarily by governmental and research institutions. Private entities are also involved, all working together through the Ocean Decade to deliver the science we need for the ocean we want.

The new Decade Actions complement an initial set of endorsements announced on 8 June 2022, World Oceans Day, as well as over 70 Actions unveiled in September and November 2022, resulting from the second Call for Decade Actions. To date, 45 global programmes, 215 projects and 68 contributions have been endorsed and form part of the Ocean Decade ecosystem.

The fourth Call for Decade Actions was launched on 15 October 2022 and closed on 31 January 2023, with a focus on coastal resilience and digital representation of the ocean. The fifth call will open on 15 April 2023 and details will be published soon on the Ocean Decade website. Read more