The 2024 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum is the event to attend for the science-policy community all around the Atlantic. From 8-10 October, the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada will host representatives from the Atlantic community, including the AAORIA Partners from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cabo Verde, the European Union, Morocco, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Intergenerational Dialogue session is designed to foster meaningful exchanges between Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) and senior ocean experts. Organised as part of the 2024 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Forum, this initiative is supported by OKEANO, the EU-funded Coordination and Support Action (CSA) implementing the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) in close cooperation Sigi Gruber, Active Senior Expert at the European Commission.
The ECOPs participating were selected through an open call targeted at AAORIA partner organisations, as well as through Expressions of Interest promoted by AAORIA channels and OKEANO partners. Pre-existing ECOP groups, including those from initiatives such as the UN Ocean Decade and indigenous communities were invited to contribute. As a result, selected ECOPs were funded by AAORIA partners and OKEANO project beneficiaries to travel to Ottawa for the Dialogue Session and the Forum in October 2024.
An introductory virtual meeting is scheduled for September 2024, allowing the selected ECOPs to establish connections and familiarise themselves with the session’s objectives and thematic priorities. This year’s Forum will particularly focus on two priority areas:
- Increasing our understanding of the relationship between the ocean and climate and developing outcome-oriented science for mitigating and adapting to the consequences of climate change, particularly for the benefit of increasing resilience of coastal communities;
- Coordinating Atlantic Ocean observing and improving modelling capacities, including in support of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
This will be followed by the in-person part of the Intergenerational Dialogue session that will take place in Ottawa, with ECOPs working in groups, guided by designated mentors, to develop policy briefs that propose innovative solutions aligned with the Forum’s two key thematic priorities. The policy briefs prepared by the ECOPs will be presented at the Forum’s plenary session as a tangible outcome.
Further activities include side-events, networking opportunities, school visits and an evening reception hosted by the Irish Ambassador to Canada. ECOPs will also have an opportunity to take part in the wider Forum, engaging in discussions and working closely with policymakers, senior ocean professionals, and stakeholders across the Atlantic community. The initiative aims to empower ECOPs, encouraging them to take an active role in shaping AAORIA’s priorities and in addressing critical Atlantic challenges.
The AAORIA Forum 2024 serves as the central platform to highlight the scientific coordination and collaboration within the Alliance. This year, it is endorsed as an Ocean Decade activity by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, as a testament to its importance. This underscores the Forum’s alignment with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and its commitment to advancing sustainable ocean management and research.
