Leveraging Technological Breakthroughs to Enhance International Leadership in the UN Ocean Decade Initiative -- FIO’s Participation in the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference

FIRST INSTITUTE OF
OCEANOGRAPHY, MNR

Leveraging Technological Breakthroughs to Enhance International Leadership in the UN Ocean Decade Initiative -- FIO’s Participation in the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference

From April 10 to 12, the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference was held in Barcelona co-sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and the Government of Spain. SUN Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Director General of the State Oceanic Administration of China led a Chinese delegation to attend the Conference and delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. LI Tiegang, Director General of the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), QIAO Fangli, Deputy Director General of FIO and representatives of relevant departments and institutions attended the Conference. Deputy Director General QIAO Fangli is China’s only expert of the Advisory Board of the Conference.

FIO organized three satellite events for this conference, attended multiple bilateral and multilateral discussions, fully showcasing the important achievements of FIO in its participation in the Ocean Decade to the global community and fostering the international leading role FIO plays in the UN Ocean Decade Initiative.

Playing a role of comprehensive coordination and promoting China’s maritime culture to the globe

On April 9, the Chinese Navigation Technology and Culture Exhibition of “Against the Wind and Waves, Across the Immense Ocean, for Countless Miles”, one of the flagship satellite events of the Conference, launches in the Maritime Museum of Barcelona. SUN Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Director General of the State Oceanic Administration of China, Vidar Helgeson, Executive Secretary of IOC, HU Aimin, Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate in Barcelona, and Enric Garcia, Director of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. The delegation of China's Ocean Decade Conference, representatives of the Chinese Consulate General in Barcelona, the leaders and experts of the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) who participated in the Conference, representatives of the Barcelona Maritime Museum, Barcelona citizens, representatives of relevant international organizations and the local Chinese community attended the event.

In his speech, Vice Minister SUN Shuxian emphasized that both China and Spain boast a long maritime history, and the ocean has deeply influenced the cultures of the two countries. He pointed out that the ocean connects our world, and in recent years China has actively engaged in the UN Ocean Decade and made important contributions. Looking ahead, he hoped that the exhibition would spread the culture of the Maritime Silk Road, strengthen the exchanges between China and the West in the field of marine culture, enhance the international community's understanding of and support for the Ocean Decade Initiative, and promote the sustainable development of the global ocean. Mr. Vidar Helgeson expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Chinese Government for its long-term support for the work of the IOC, and pointed out that the exhibition would greatly enhance people's understanding of and respect for the oceans and seas, promote the diversity of marine culture, facilitate cultural exchanges and understanding of the oceans and seas among countries worldwide, and push forward the process of marine conservation and the sustainable use of marine resources. He emphasized that the Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China (DCC-OCC) serves as an important part of the implementation of the UN Ocean Decade, which strongly facilitates the coordination and cooperation of stakeholders, promotes the enhancement of marine scientific research and management, and makes positive contributions to global ocean governance.

DCC-OCC, hosted by FIO, and the National Maritime Museum of China jointly organized this exhibition with strong support from the China Oceanic Development Foundation and the Maritime Museum of Barcelona. The exhibition presents China's long history of navigation, major inventions and achievements, fruitful progress in scientific research and active practice of ocean governance in a way that connects the past and present, showcases the integration and harmony of China's marine civilization with the world's civilization in a panoramic view, and reviews the progress and achievements of China's marine science. Through scientific and artistic models, graphic materials, multimedia and other forms, the exhibition reflects, from various aspects, the course of Chinese people's understanding and protection of the oceans as well as their initiatives and achievements in support of the UN Ocean Decade, and explains and promotes to the world the maritime culture with Chinese characteristics, reflecting the spirit of China, and embedding the wisdom of China. It effectively spreads the cultural connotation of the Maritime Silk Road -- "amity, inclusiveness, reciprocity, coexistence and tenacity" and endows the Ocean Decade Conference with more features of traditional Chinese culture.

Working out ocean-based solutions to global climate change via OSF Programme

On April 9, OSF Workshop on Ocean-based Solutions to Mitigate Climate Change Impacts with Africa as a Demonstration was successfully held in Barcelona, Spain. ZHAO Peijian, Deputy Director of the Department of Marine Areas and Islands Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. This event was jointly initiated by the UN Ocean Decade Ocean to Climate Seamless Forecasting System Programme (OSF) hosted by FIO, the Climate and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and Change Project (CLIVAR), the Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study Project (SOLAS), the Ocean Literacy with All Programme (OLWA), the UN Decade Collaborative Centre on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China (DCC-OCC), and the Organization of African Academic Doctors (OAAD). As one of the satellite events of the Ocean Decade Conference, the Workshop convened over 40 international representatives from Asia, Africa, North America and Europe and a host of world-renowned experts in ocean and climate science delivered keynote speeches and reviewed scientific results and their implementation of the OSF Programme. Based on regional features of Africa, experts explored ocean-based solutions to climate change and had in-depth discussions on how to take the Ocean Decade Initiative as an opportunity to make the most of international cooperation to assist African countries in response to climate change.

The successful convening of the Workshop demonstrates a series of scientific and technological breakthroughs of the OSF Programme over the two years since its official implementation. It also reflects that the OSF Programme, thanks to its long-term experience in ocean and climate science, continuous efforts in international cooperation and accurate understanding of bridging the gap between science and social demands, is stepping into a new era of marine sci-tech transformation in which the OSF Programme will lead the advancement of international science and technology of ocean and climate forecasting and provide high-quality public service products for the world.

As China’s first endorsed Ocean Decade Programme in the field of physical oceanography, the OSF Programme, since its implementation, has actively followed the vision of “the science we need for the ocean we want” proposed by the Ocean Decade, and committed to extending the timescale of climate forecast from one week to multiple months with the support of scientific breakthroughs in ocean and climate forecast and providing global public products of pressing need. Now, the global cooperation network of OSF covers more than 70 organizations and institutions from over 50 countries. Africa is the world’s most influenced region by climate change as well as one of the regions with the weakest capacity in response to climate change. OSF Programme has cooperated with over 20 African countries and carried out the ocean to climate seamless forecasting project in Africa (OSFiA).

Making breakthroughs in ocean observation technology and providing China’s solutions to global ocean observation

On April 11, Workshop on Co-designing Ocean Observing System for Better Societal Services - Pan Tropics and Basin Use Areas was convened by DCC-OCC and domestic and foreign institutions. WANG Antao, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China attended and delivered remarks.

The Workshop was co-hosted by DCC-OCC, the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Ocean Observations Physics and Climate Panel (OOPC), Climate and Ocean - Variability, Predictability, and Change (CLIVAR), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of USA with support from international organizations including Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Dalhousie University of Canada, University of South Africa, and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change. Through interactive panel discussions, the Workshop explored how to better contribute to the development of the Pan-tropical Ocean Observing System by working with various stakeholders in the value chain to co-design and co-implement a transformative and problem-oriented ocean observing system.

China has played a proactive role in promoting global ocean observing systems, especially in the construction of observing systems in the Indian Ocean and the tropical Pacific ocean. The Workshop has effectively publicized China’s contributions and achievements in global ocean and climate change observation, especially the new-generation low-cost GNSS drifting buoys and the Bailong buoys developed by FIO, and strengthened cooperation and exchanges in ocean observation between China and other countries in the world as well as important international organizations. It will be bound to influence the establishment and development of the Pan-tropical Ocean Observing System.

Moreover, on April 10, Vice Minister SUN Shuxian, accompanied by Director General LI Tiegang and Deputy Director General QIAO Fangli, had a high-level meeting with Vidar Helgeson, Executive Secretary of IOC. During the meeting, Vice Minister SUN Shuxian mentioned that DCC-OCC and OSF Programme has promoted the realization of Ocean Decade goals. Vidar Helgeson noted that the IOC highly appreciated China’s support for and contributions to global ocean development. Over the past five years, Researcher QIAO Fangli has led a team to actively engage in making the Ocean Decade plan and implementation of the plan and DCC-OCC undertaken by FIO has provided strong scientific and technological support for IOC. He expressed his expectation that China would continuously play a key role in ocean observation and prediction and capacity building.

Supporting the building of a strong maritime country

After over 30 years of extensive international cooperation, FIO has stood out as one of the leading institutes in participation in global ocean governance and played a pivotal role in the UN Ocean Decade Initiative and mechanism. For example, as China’s only representative, Researcher QIAO Fangli was deeply engaged in the blueprinting of the Ocean Decade and supervision of its implementation. QIAO is also China’s only expert of the International Organizing Committee of the 2nd Ocean Decade Conference. In addition, FIO hosts China’s only Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners and coordinates the implementation of a host of domestic and foreign scientific programs. Moreover, FIO made breakthroughs in key theories and technologies in ocean and climate forecast, initiated the Ocean Decade Ocean to Climate Seamless Forecasting System Programme which has been promoted to the world as the best practice by IOC, and designed ocean-based solutions to climate change by building global consensus. Besides, FIO has actively promoted international co-designing of ocean and climate observation and introduced China’s disruptive technical breakthroughs in ocean and climate observation. FIO also promoted China’s maritime culture to Europe by taking the lead in organizing the first exhibition. By accompanying the leaders of the Ministry of Natural Resources to meet with senior leaders of IOC, FIO has further demonstrated its key role in global ocean governance.

FIO has forged long-term partnerships with over 50 marine institutions in more than 30 important marine countries so far and played a leading role in important ocean-related international organizations such as UNESCO/IOC, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). In addition, FIO has undertaken 12 international cooperation platforms including DCC-OCC, China-Korea Joint Ocean Research Center, Indonesia-China Center for Ocean and Climate, China-Thailand Joint Laboratory for Climate and Marine Ecosystem, ODC Center, China-PEMSEA and initiated and implemented a series of international cooperation projects in ocean and climate observing and forecasting, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, conservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity and marine geology. Moreover, FIO has worked with countries to establish a batch of observation stations and conducted a series of joint survey cruises. All these efforts provide support for China’s in-depth participation in global ocean governance.

At present, the establishment of a strong maritime country is in full swing and the vision of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is becoming reality, but we need international right of speech in the marine field more than ever. As an important component of the UN’s effort to promote sustainable development, the Ocean Decade stands out as the most vital global ocean initiative in the next decade which provides a rare opportunity for China to deeply participate in global ocean governance. Based on the previous solid work, FIO will, under the guidance of MNR, ensure DCC-OCC to actively fulfill its role and implement relevant programs and projects and produce core scientific and technological outcomes and apply them to global ocean governance based on the international frontiers of marine science and technology, thereby boosting China’s leadership by breakthroughs in marine science and technology and providing stronger scientific and technological support for the building of a maritime community with a shared future and a strong maritime country.