Lead a Special Event at Ocean Decade Week 2027: Call Now Open

The 2027 Ocean Decade Conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 9 April 2027. Hosted by the Brazilian Government and co-organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the Conference is expected to bring together approximately 3,000 participants, including governments, United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations, scientific institutions, Indigenous peoples, philanthropy, civil society, youth networks, and the private sector. The Conference is set to be one of the defining moments for the United Nations Decade (UN) of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’).

The Ocean Decade Conference will be the centrepiece of Ocean Decade Week 2027, a week-long programme of Special Events, technical meetings, exhibitions, networking opportunities, and public engagement activities running from 5 to 9 April 2027.

As part of preparations for the Week, the Conference organizers are now calling for institutions and partners interested in leading Special Events on 5 and 6 April 2027, ahead of the main Conference.

“Brazil is proud to host a Conference that will bring 3,000 people from around the world to Rio de Janeiro to discuss concrete solutions to getting the knowledge we need for the ocean we want to deliver to future generations,” said Leandro Pedron, Director at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil, and one of the lead organizers of the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference. “As we enter the final years of the Ocean Decade, this Conference comes at a crucial moment to move from knowledge generation to implementation, translating science into policies, management tools, and transformative actions. The Special Events offer a unique opportunity for institutions, both Brazilian and international, to help shape this implementation agenda and leave a lasting legacy for the Ocean Decade and beyond.”

What are Special Events in the context of the Ocean Decade Week 2027?

Think of a Special Event as a full day of smaller events dedicated to one of the eight Ocean Decade Solutions or to one oceanic region. Each of these full-day thematic or regional Special Events might pack in workshops, scientific talks, policy discussions, trainings, networking, exhibitions, live demonstrations, cultural performances, innovation showcases, and dialogues with youth and Indigenous peoples that will be solicited through a call for individual sessions later in the year.

Most important: these aren’t side events happening in parallel to the Conference programme. They are part of the official Ocean Decade Week and Conference programme, and their outcomes will feed directly into the Conference outcomes and legacy.

Priority themes

Special Events will be aligned with the Ocean Decade Solutions framework, organized across thematic, regional, and cross-cutting streams.

Thematic streams:

• Ocean Life
• Ocean Health
• Coastal Resilience
• Ocean Food Systems
• Ocean Economies
• Ocean Information and Services
• Ocean Investment
• Ocean Skills and Inspiration

Regional Special Events will focus on Africa, the Tropical Americas and Caribbean, and Pacific Small Island Developing States. A cross-cutting Special Event will also focus on Early Career Ocean Professionals.

Applicants may also propose additional themes where they clearly contribute to the Conference’s objectives and address emerging priorities not covered above. Read more