Signing Ceremony for the Implementation Agreement on ODCC and 1st Steering Committee Meeting Successfully Convened

The signing ceremony for the Implementation Agreement of the Ocean Decade International Cooperation Center (ODCC) and its first Steering Committee meeting were successfully convened in Qingdao on June 5. Attendees and speakers included SUN Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), LIU Jungang, Vice Chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and GENG Tao, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of the Qingdao Municipal People's Government. Also present were leaders from the International Cooperation Department of MNR, the Oceanic Administration of Shandong Province, the Qingdao Municipal Marine Development Bureau, the Management Committee of the Qingdao West Coast New Area, the North China Sea Bureau of MNR, and the National Deep Sea Center. Director General LI Tiegang, Deputy Director General QIAO Fangli and heads of relevant functional departments from FIO also attended the meeting.

Vice Minister SUN Shuxian fully affirmed the preliminary work of ODCC, provided a profound analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing China's international ocean cooperation, and put forward specific requirements for ODCC's work in three key areas: bearing in mind the mission for which the Center was established, adhering to open cooperation, and focusing on results-oriented outcomes. Vice Chairman LIU Jungang and Vice Mayor GENG Tao outlined specific tasks and implementation measures based on the actual conditions of Shandong province and Qingdao, respectively.

CHEN Danhong, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of MNR, announced the membership list of the Steering Committee for ODCC. MENG Qingsheng, Director of the Qingdao Municipal Marine Development Bureau, reported on the proposed members of the Management Committee and the proposed candidates for Director and Executive Director of ODCC. WANG Qingyuan, Head of the Qingdao West Coast New Area, reported on the progress of ODCC and outlined requirements for the next phase of key tasks. QIAO Fangli, Deputy Director General and Chief Engineer of FIO, reported on the development plan (2023-2030) and the 2024 work priorities for ODCC.

During the meeting, the Management Committee of the Qingdao West Coast New Area, the First Institute of Oceanography of MNR, the Qingdao Municipal Marine Development Bureau, the North China Sea Bureau of MNR, and the National Deep Sea Center signed the Implementation Agreement for the joint establishment of the Ocean Decade International Cooperation Center.

In June 2022, the UN Ocean Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China led by FIO was approved, which is one of the only four global collaborative centers, with the other three hosted by the United States, France, and Italy respectively. Building on this, in February 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Shandong Province, and Qingdao City agreed to jointly establish the Ocean Decade International Cooperation Center, with FIO, the Qingdao Marine Development Bureau, and the Management Committee of the Qingdao West Coast New Area serving as the main implementing bodies.

The successful conclusion of this meeting marks the entry of the ODCC into a new stage of substantive operation. Moving forward, ODCC will focus on its mission, forge ahead with determination, deeply participate in global ocean governance, and actively contribute to building a maritime community with a shared future and local economic and social development.

Onsite meeting

Signing ceremony