23 September

Intergenerational Dialogue session (upon invite only)

• Each year, the intergenerational dialogue provides ECOPs with a platform to collaborate with more senior professionals to co-develop solutions for pressing Atlantic Ocean challenges, present their recommendations to policymakers in the plenary session of the Forum, and contribute to an ECOP-driven policy brief to be submitted to the attention of  Policy makers of the Alliance and beyond, for uptake into the implementation of All-Atlantic efforts.

24 September

Atlantic Coastal Resilience – From Vulnerability to Resiliency: Co-Designing Coastal Resilience Pathways (upon registration) – 8:30 – 14:30 – Scotland House, Rond-point Robert Schuman 6, 1040 Brussels, Brussels

• This interactive side event will unite AAORIA stakeholders including Beacon Site representatives, researchers, policymakers, and ECOPs to co-design pathways for coastal resilience grounded in local realities. Through keynote presentations and panel dialogues, participants will share good practices, explore resilience indicators, and showcase real-world interventions that reduce vulnerability and strengthen adaptation capacity. The discussions will draw on diverse regional experiences to identify actionable, transferable solutions that can be scaled and adapted across the Atlantic. This side event will also address how the Beacon Sites Network can support high quality toolkits and materials for coastal resilience work in communities. The aim is to deliver a draft All-Atlantic Coastal Resilience Work Programme for Good Practices & Indicators report, as well as a strengthened collaboration among Beacon Sites and AAORIA partners and recommendations that will feed into the 2025 AAORIA Forum outcome documents. The event will be moderated by Dr. Véronique Helfer and Dr. Alexandra-Sophie Roy.

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Polar oceans and climate: Advancing synergies for long-term global collaboration (upon registration) – 13:30 – 17:30 – Charlemagne Building, European Commission, Brussels

• • In the face of rapid environmental change, the polar regions have become critical to understanding and predicting our planet’s future. This workshop brings together polar experts and stakeholders from the AAORIA partners to explore key aspects of polar science, including the development and integration of polar observation systems, the role and resilience of polar infrastructures, and as an example for scientific cooperation within AAORIA two initiatives that will pave the way to the 5th International Polar Year (IPY) in 2032-33: the pioneering Antarctica InSync and Arctic Ocean 2050 projects. We will discuss the vital influence of the polar oceans on global climate systems and highlight the importance of strong international cooperation in advancing polar research. By fostering dialogue and building networks across borders, this workshop aims to strengthen our collective capacity to protect and study the Earth’s polar frontiers.

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Please plan to arrive early, as going through security and obtaining a badge at the entrance may take some time. We recommend arriving at least 30-45 minutes before the official start of your session.

Co-designing All-Atlantic Ocean Observations and Modelling: Implementing Community Recommendations (upon registration) – 15:00 – 17:30 – Charlemagne Building, European Commission, Brussels

• The AAORIA High-Level Board endorsed a Work Plan for Ocean Observations and Modelling as a path forward for AAORIA’s Area of Action #2. Five expert groups were convened and consulted over the spring of 2025 for their recommendations for impactful activities that would advance the objectives in the work plan. The recommendations report is intended to be a menu of options to direct current or future collaborations and resources with maximum impact. Many of the recommended activities build on existing global or regional efforts, with an emphasis on the Atlantic and its less well understood areas. All of them will require thoughtful planning and partnership-building to be successful. To this end, AAORIA is convening this side event to consult the All-Atlantic community on co-designing activities to ensure implementation meets needs, is inclusive of partners and stakeholders, and results in a maximum impact. Following a brief overview of the recommended activities, a representative from each expert group will guide the audience through a detailed discussion on implementing one or more activities recommended by their group. 

• Explore the agenda here!

Please plan to arrive early, as going through security and obtaining a badge at the entrance may take some time. We recommend arriving at least 30-45 minutes before the official start of your session.

Please note that side events will be conducted in English only, without interpretation.