Events

The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meet annually to develop collective responses to regional issues and deliver on their vision for a resilient Pacific Region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy and productive lives. Leaders will convene, engage in discussions and agree on policies that will ultimately benefit the people of the region. This gathering is a unique opportunity for Leaders to address pressing issues and challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent, and foster collaboration and cooperation in the pursuit of shared goals.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main policy-making organ of the Organization. Comprising all Member States, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations. Each of the 193 Member States of the United Nations has an equal vote. The 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) will open on Tuesday, 10 September 2024. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be Tuesday, 24 September 2024.

Every September, Climate Group organizes Climate Week NYC, gathering tens of thousands of people to drive climate action. Together, we challenge the status quo, create ideas, influence, inspire, and energize each other. Climate Week NYC 2024 is putting a spotlight on inspiring businesses, organizations and governments that are already driving momentum. Together, we’ll convince hesitant companies and governments to act by showing what can be done and break down barriers to progress.

The Waters Conference (IWC) is the signature event of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) IW Portfolio. The IWC objectives are to facilitate cross-sectoral and GEF IW Portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing. They strive to solicit advice from the existing GEF IW Portfolio on burning issues and to assist in building participant capacity in key management and technical areas. Participants sum up progress achieved and look to the future of programming within and beyond the GEF IW Focal Area. The nine previous conferences were held in Morocco, Sri Lanka, Barbados, Croatia, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, China, and Hungary.

This meeting, which is scheduled to overlap with general meetings for the assembly, will cover the existential threats posed by sea level rise. Representatives from Small Island Developing States have been instrumental in pushing the UN to hold this meeting. The meeting aims to develop an outcome document through open, transparent, and inclusive consultations with Member States.

The Global Nature Positive Summit 2024 aims to bring together: climate, environment, and finance ministers; private sector leaders; Indigenous groups, including Australia’s First Nations peoples; scientists and academics; and community leaders to drive private sector investment to protect and repair the environment. The Summit aims to inform the design of nature positive activities. The Government of Australia and the Government of New South Wales will host the first Global Nature Positive Summit. The Summit will also share guidance for investors and project developers to encourage partnerships for developing country projects.

One of the largest sustainable seafood events in Asia, the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit focuses on environmental sustainability and social responsibility, aiming to realize a sustainable seafood industry. The summit brings together various domestic and overseas seafood-related businesses, sustainable fisheries management companies, blue finance experts, and NGOs to share the latest knowledge. The event is co-hosted by Seafood Legacy and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, among others. Registrations open now!

The First Blue Africa Summit in November 2023 drew up a map of the major challenges facing maritime Africa. The “Tangier Declaration” affirmed the dependence of African growth on international trade by sea, emphasizing the importance of Africa’s connectivity with other continents. This vision will be at the heart of the second edition of the Blue Africa Summit, which aims to help fully connect Africa to other continents through its ports, straits, and maritime channels, thereby representing a dynamic network linking the Indian Ocean, Mozambique Channel, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean. Details and registration can be found at the link provided.

The 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC7) will be held from 13-18 October, 2024, in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting is the Society for Conservation Biology Marine Program’s main event in the calendar and is held every two years. The overall theme of IMCCs is Making Marine Science Matter. For marine conservation to be effective, marine conservation science must matter to stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners. IMCC seeks to engage everyone involved in marine conservation to share ideas and promote action for the long term health of our oceans.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established by international convention in 1982 with the objective of conserving Antarctic marine life. CCAMLR is an international commission with 27 Members, and a further 10 countries have acceded to the Convention. Based on the best available scientific information, the Commission agrees a set of conservation measures that determine the use of marine living resources in the Antarctic. This year, the commission will be convening for the 43rd time, with this year's location in Hobart, Australia

At the COP 16 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework. COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework. Among other tasks, COP 16 is also due to finalize and operationalize the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

By convening impact investors to facilitate knowledge exchange, highlighting innovative investment approaches, building the evidence base for the industry, and producing valuable tools and resources, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) seeks to accelerate the industry's development through focused leadership and collective action. Ultimately, the GIIN focuses on reducing barriers to impact investment so more investors can allocate capital to fund solutions to the world's most intractable challenges. We do this by building critical infrastructure and developing activities, education, and research that help accelerate the development of a coherent impact investing industry.

Hosted by American Clean Power, this event is dedicated to convening top developers, government officials, and key stakeholders across the industry who are working to achieve the full promise of U.S. offshore wind.

The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress is a triennial event that serves as an intellectual marketplace and forum on the sustainable development of the seas and coasts in the region and beyond. It provides an ocean-focused forum for knowledge sharing, collaborative action and partnership building. The EAS Congress consists of a ministerial forum, international conference, environmental exhibition, youth forum and field visits to learn about sustainable coastal management in the East Asian Seas region. More information and registrations are available at the link!

The COP 29 United Nations Climate Change Conference intends to host a series of high-level political convenings to assess barriers to NDC development, including meetings during the Germany-hosted 15th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the 60th sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs), the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), and a special session at the opening of the 29th session of the Conference Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 29). These meetings will discuss the “quantity and quality of support needed” to ensure that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the next round of which is due in 2025, can deliver just climate transitions aligned with the 1.5°C goal. The Presidencies will also work with “key thematic and political platforms” such as the Group of 20 (G20), “to channel existing knowledge and resources towards ambitious NDC development."

The 12th World Congress of Ocean is intended to provide a platform for professionals around the world to exchange state-of-the-art research and development and identify research needs and opportunities in the field of Ocean. WCO-2024 covers a wide range of topics related to the ocean economy, maritime law, ocean engineering, ocean energy, green ports, shipping and modern shipbuilding, marine management and environmental protection, and ocean science. The program highlights some recent breakthrough stories and successes in this field. Over the conference period, you will have opportunities to share information and the best face to face to practices business leaders, academic researchers and government agents around the world. It serves as a great opportunity to find global partners and build up research and business relations. The three-day conference is an effective series of activities such as a scientific program, exhibitions, posters, and tours.

The fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, will attempt to complete negotiations on the instrument.

"The eleventh session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES 11) will consider the assessment on interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health and the transformative change assessment. IPBES is the intergovernmental body that assesses the state of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides to society, in response to requests from decision makers."