Recently, Research professor Qiao Fangli of the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources (FIO, MNR) was selected as a member of the Executive Planning Group (EPG) of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Decade), and will participate in the development of the road map and work plans for the Decade on behalf of China.

At its 72nd session in 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution authorizing the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to take the lead in the preparation of the Decade with an aim to plan for relevant cooperation in global marine science for the period 2021-2030, and better serve the sustainable development of society. Audrey Azulai, Director-General of UNESCO, announced the Decade on December 6, 2017, and encouraged and mobilized the scientific community, policymakers, enterprises, and NGOs to coordinate and cooperate in marine research. Aimed at enhancing global development and cooperation in marine science innovation, marine observation and forecast, marine ecological environment protection, and maritime security, raising the awareness of all countries on the importance and necessity of the development of marine science, and promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Decade is widely recognized as a once-in-a-lifetime unique opportunity to promote the in-depth integration of marine science with global sustainable development, in particular SDG 14 of the 2030 Agenda. The Decade is expected to achieve six major results, namely 1) clean oceans — identification, quantification, and reduction of pollution sources and effective management of marine pollution; 2) healthy and resilient oceans — protection of marine ecosystems and mitigation of the negative impacts of climate change and other factors; 3) predictable oceans — enhanced ability to master the current and future status of oceans, and prediction of changes in the oceans and their impact on human society; 4) safe oceans — protection of human society against marine disasters for safe maritime activities and coastal operations; 5) oceans with sustainable production — ensured availability of marine food; 6) transparent oceans — marine data, information and technology accessible to all states and stakeholders.

As the lead agency, IOC-UNESCO decided to invite countries and organizations across the world to recommend experts for the implementation of the Decade. After careful selection, the EPG was established based on the scientific literacy and comprehensive ability of candidates, and was responsible for developing the road map and specific work plans of the Decade. Nominated by the Chinese Government, Research Professor Qiao Fangli, as the sole representative of China, was selected as EPG member together with 18 other representatives from major maritime states and international marine organizations. They will conduct relevant work in the near future. As one of the most important ocean plans launched by the UN in recent years, the Decade will have far-reaching impacts on global marine affairs, especially on the development of marine science. The Chinese representative's selection to the EPG not only reflects the UN's recognition on the influence of China in global marine affairs, but will help China play a greater role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda in the maritime field.

Qiao Fangli is a second-grade research professor and doctoral supervisor at FIO, MNR. He originally established the wave-induced mixing theory, which was published in the Journal of the Royal Society, laying a theoretical foundation for solving the international problem of insufficient upper mixing of ocean model that has lasted for half a century. With regard to the scientific bottleneck hindering typhoon intensity prediction for decades, he found that the droplets caused by wave breaking could significantly improve the forecasting of strong typhoons. He has developed a new ocean and climate model with increased accuracy. With the theory, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Hungary, Australia and other countries have seen a significant rise in the accuracy of their ocean and climate models, while China achieved leapfrog development in its ocean model. In 2014, he received the Wooster Award from the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) and the Outstanding Scientist Award from the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC). In 2016, he was nominated for the Gordon Bell Prize, the highest award in international high-performance computing application. In 2017, he was elected Vice-Chairperson of WESTPAC.