The Economist Impact 12th Annual World Ocean Summit and Expo
The World Maritime University - Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI) is participating at The Economist Impact 12th Annual World Ocean Summit and Expo onsite at the Ana Intercontinental Tokyo, Japan, on 12-13 March 2025. The Nippon Foundation is the official host of the Summit that will feature hundreds of expert speakers with an agenda focused on “the transition to a sustainable ocean economy, ocean stewardship, strategies to restore ocean health, advancements in marine technology and collaborative efforts to address ocean pollution”. The WMU-GOI is an official supporter of the Summit and will co-host a Strategy Session, a How-to-Workshop, and also be present with a booth at the Summit Expo. The Institute is also organizing outreach activities in the margins of the Summit, including a Beach Clean Up with Friends of WMU Japan. Further information is available here.
STRATEGY SESSION
The WMU-sponsored Strategy Session on 13 March, “Ocean governance: designing solutions to the triple planetary crisis”, is a plenary session for 300+ participants. Key experts will focus on how international legal frameworks can enhance environmental resilience and ensure operational sustainability, particularly in small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs). Discussions will address how multilateral lawmaking can better serve the global south in relation to the ocean’s most urgent challenges. Artificial intelligence, new observation systems as solutions to environmental degradation, as well as the regulatory challenges of using such tools will also be discussed. The session features speakers from The Nippon Foundation and WMU-GOI Future Ocean Programme.
HOW TO WORKSHOP
The How to Workshop, entitled “How to realize the opportunities for Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) under the BBNJ Agreement,” will take place on 13 March. The interactive session for 60 participants will strategize how to help SIDS maximize the potential of the BBNJ Agreement and particularly the ratification process. Discussions will address how to transpose the Agreement's provisions into national frameworks and build capacity development programmes to address resource-sharing, marine genetic resources, and environmental impact assessments. Based on these discussions, the session will examine funding models, international partnerships, and the integration of traditional knowledge into marine governance. The workshop will feature speakers from The Ireland & WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic Programme.
EXPO
The WMU exhibition booth will showcase the University’s Academic Programmes, key research and efforts on ocean research and outreach activities, and include interactive networking sessions with ocean trivia and presentations. The booth will be located at Stand 15 on the expo floor.
If you are a WMU alumnus interested in attending the Summit at a discount, or will already be attending and would like to reconnect with WMU, please contact the WMU-GOI team at goievent@wmu.se.
About the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
The World Maritime University’s WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI) is an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policymakers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö.
About the Future Ocean Programme
The Future Ocean Programme is funded by The Nippon Foundation and aims to generate knowledge and understanding of how law, political science, and public policy are used to effect change in humanity’s relationship with the ocean to combat the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. For more information about the Future Ocean Programme visit the webpage https://futureocean.wmu.se/
About the BBNJ Clinic Programme
The Ireland and WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic is dedicated to supporting Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in their efforts to ratify and implement the BBNJ Agreement. Effective and prompt implementation of the BBNJ Agreement is crucial for ocean sustainability and conservation and addressing global inequalities in access to ocean resources. SIDS, characterized as ‘large ocean states’ due to their geographical features and interconnection with and knowledge of ocean ecosystems, as well as coastal LDCs, are among the most significant beneficiaries of the Agreement and among the most important actors in contemporary ocean affairs. However, these States can face capacity and resource challenges in implementing the BBNJ Agreement. The Programme aims to fulfill both practical capacity development and hands-on educational mandates. WMU-GOI researchers and external experts, including the lead negotiators of the BBNJ intergovernmental conference, will lead the consultation process facilitated by the Clinic, and facilitate ratification and implementation procedures undertaken by legal advisors, government officials, and relevant stakeholders from SIDS and coastal LDCs.
For more information about the Ireland WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic Programme visit the webpage https://bbnjclinic.wmu.se/