Ocean Decade Fifth Foundations Dialogue Plenary Session

Events

Ocean Decade Fifth Foundations Dialogue Plenary Session

Organizer：Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF)、IOC-UNESCO

The United Nations-led Ocean Decade is an international initiative that aims to build a sustainable ocean future through ocean science over a 10-year period from 2021 to 2030. 2025 marks the halfway point of the initiative, and together with the UN Ocean Conference to be held in the same year, it will be an important milestone for accelerating global ocean action.

In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is a region that is highly dependent on the ocean, with approximately 2 billion people living on the coast, and the ocean is not just an economic resource, but is deeply rooted culturally, spiritually, and ecologically as the "mother of life." Japan has been developing advanced initiatives in the region in areas such as ocean governance, ecosystem conservation, and capacity building.

Against this background, the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, will co-host the "Fifth Foundations Dialogue" with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) from September 3 to 5, 2025 in Tokyo. The conference aims to redefine the role of philanthropy in the ocean sector and build a more strategic and collaborative funding framework.

Regarding registration

If you would like to participate, please apply from this page by 12:00 on Tuesday, September 2 (JST).

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Contact: Ocean Policy Research Institute
Email: oceanpolicy (@) spf.or.jp
Tel: +81-3-5157-5210

For media inquiries:
Public Relations Division
Tel: +81-3-5157-5395
Email: spfpr (@) spf.or.jp

Program

9:15-9:55 JST	Registration
10:00-11:00 JST	Opening Session Opening Remarks Dr. Atsushi Sunami, President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) Keynote Address Mr. Julian Pierre Barbière, Head of Marine Policy and Regional Coordination IOC/UNESCO "Midway Milestones: Advancing the Goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030)" Remarks by the Guest of Honor Mr. Atsushi Nonaka, Senior Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chairman of SPF / The Nippon Foundation
11:00-11:30 JST	Group Photo and Coffee Break
11:30-12:30 JST	High-Level Roundtable with Ambassadors, Experts and Practitioners Theme: "Driving Ocean Leadership and Innovation: Advancing Governance, Blue Economy, and Marine Science to Achieve 30x30" Moderator: Dr. Mitsutaku Makino, President, Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI)-SPF Speakers (provisional): 1. H.E. Ms. Kristin Iglum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of The Kingdom of Norway to Japan 2. Prof. Yutaka Michida, Chair, IOC-UNESCO 3. Dr. Saif Al Ghais, Chair, UNESCO-IOCINDIO sub-commission 4. Ms. Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh (Online) 5. H.E. Ms. Ilana V. Seid, Chair of AOSIS: Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations (Online)
12:30-14:00 JST	Lunch Break
14:00-15:00 JST	High-Level Roundtable with Principals of Foundations Theme: “Catalyzing Cross-Sector Collaboration: Mobilizing Private Foundations for Nature-Positive and Climate-Resilient Decade Action” Moderator: Ms. Alison Clausen, Programme Specialist, Marine Policy and Regional Coordination Section, IOC/UNESCO Speakers: 1. Ms. Malu Nunes, Executive Director, Boticário Group Foundation 2. Ms.Anna Marsden, Managing Director, Great Barrier Reef Foundation 3. Dr. Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director, Schmidt Ocean Institute 4. Ms. Kenza Khallafi , Executive Manager for Partnerships and International Cooperation and in charge of Ocean Decade projects, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection 5. Dr. Mitsutaku Makino, President, Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI)-SPF
15:00-15:15 JST	Coffee Break
15:15-16:00 JST	Roundtable with solution example and community engagement Theme: "Asia-Pacific’s Vision for the Ocean Decade: Advancing Regional Action to Honor the Ocean as the Mother of Life" Moderator: Dr. Kotaro Tanaka, Research Fellow, OPRI, SPF Speakers: 1. Dr. Arnab Das, Director, Maritime Research Center, India 2. Dr. Atsushi Watanabe, Director, OPRI-SPF 3. Ms. Charlotte Hudson, Executive Director, Blue Convergence Fund
16:00-16:15 JST	Coffee Break
16:15-17:00 JST	Ocean Literacy and Capacity Building Theme: “Transforming Ocean Knowledge into Action: Ocean Literacy and Capacity Building as a Foundation for the Ocean We Want” Moderator: Amb. Dr. Fabrizio Bozzato, Senior Research Fellow, Planning and Coordination Department, SPF Speakers: 1. Ms. Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director, International Ocean Institute (IOI) 2. Dr. Janaína Bumbeer, Project Manager, Boticário Group Foundation for Nature Protection 3. Ms. Sophie Wachtmeister, Head of Partnership and Development, Voice of the Ocean Foundation 4. Dr. Sachiko Oguma – OPRI SPF
17:00 JST	Closing Notes Mr. Eiji Sakai, Executive Director, SPF