Showcasing European leadership and international collaboration at UNOC-3

On 10 July at the European Digital Ocean Pavilion in the UNOC-3 Green Zone, the OceanPrediction DCC held a session "Showcasing European leadership in advancing Ocean science for sustainable development". This event showcased the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre (OceanPrediction DCC), a global initiative launched under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade). Coordinated by Mercator Ocean International (MOi) and supported by IOC-UNESCO, the French government, and the European Union (EU), the OceanPrediction DCC plays a pivotal role in advancing ocean forecasting capabilities and cooperation worldwide for sustainable development.

Strengthening Ocean prediction through international collaboration

The event opened with welcome remarks from Pierre Bahurel, Director General at MOi, who emphasized the OceanPrediction DCC’s strategic importance in advancing MOi’s mission to develop and operate a global reference centre for ocean forecasting and ocean intelligence. Marina Lipari, from the European Commission Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), followed by reaffirming the EU’s strong commitment and continued investment in ocean science, particularly in the context of the EU Ocean Pact and the Global Gateway Strategy. Marc Moroni, representing the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion) reiterated France’s support for the OceanPrediction DCC and its significance for national and international ocean policy. A common message echoed by all speakers was the critical importance of international collaboration and multilateralism in advancing ocean forecasting and knowledge for sustainable ocean management. To set the stage, Enrique Alvarez Fanjul, Technical coordinator of the OceanPrediction DCC at MOi, gave a short introduction to the DCC, highlighting key achievements since its inception in January 2023. With over 80 international experts in its nine regional teams and Ocean Forecasting Co-Design Team, more than 250 ocean forecasting systems featured in its ATLAS and a growing network of over 600 members, the DCC serves as a powerful platform for driving a collective action for ocean forecasting development and amplifying its impact for society and the environment.

European-funded projects transforming the ocean forecasting panorama in Costa Rica  and Africa

To demonstrate the importance of international collaboration and the EU’s commitment to global ocean prediction capacity-building initiatives, the session showcasing two EU-funded flagship projects – Ocean Prediction for Costa Rica (OP4CR) and Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa (OPERA). Serving as catalysts for transformation, these two projects aim to enhance digital ocean ecosystems in Costa Rica and sub-Saharan Africa, generating wide-range regional benefits while also contributing to the advancement of the global ocean prediction community. 

Started in January 2025, the two-year OP4CR project aims to strengthen Costa Rica’s digital ocean capabilities with integration into global ocean prediction networks. With €300,000 contribution from the EU via DG INTPA, the project is implemented by MOi in the framework of the DCC’s Central and South America regional team. Valentina Guinta, the OP4CR project manager at MOi, presented the project’s objectives, components, main stakeholders and timeline. The first phase of the project will provide a marine monitoring dashboard that supports the Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and particularly the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) in their monitoring activities in the marine protected area of Cocos Island. The second aims to provide a detailed action plan for Costa Rica for the development of an Ocean Prediction Service Center in the country. Esteban Herrera, Director of Protected Wildlife Areas from SINAC-ACMC, provided an overview of the ACMC, its marine ecosystem monitoring activities and the two marine areas it manages, including the Cocos Island National Park. Cocos Island and surrounding waters, stand out as key components for the sustainability of ecological and socioeconomic dynamics within the seascape of the Eastern Tropical Pacific and represent a top conservation priority for Costa Rica, given their ecological significance as well as their cultural and historical heritage. OP4CR will be transformative in that it will not only enhance Costa Rica’s Ocean prediction capabilities for marine conservation, but it will position the county as an active contributor within the global ocean prediction community. 

In the Africa regional team session, Lillian Diarra, the OPERA project manager at MOi, introduced the project and its overarching goal to strengthen ocean forecasting capabilities and cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa for sustainable management of ocean resources and human wellbeing. With a €7 million budget funded by the EU through DG INTPA, OPERA aims to develop an integrated network of Regional Centres of Excellence for ocean forecasting and its application, tailored to African needs and priorities. Carole Rigaud from DG INTPA outlined the EU’s international commitments and objectives, including different EU financing instruments and policy frameworks driving ocean action. She noted that OPERA is part of, and represents the ocean component of, the broader Africa Regional Centres of Excellence (ArcX) programme, managed by DG INTPA to advance science, technology, and innovation in support of sustainable development in Africa. With SDG 14 being the most underfunded of all the Sustainable Development Goals, she stressed the urgent need to scale up not only financing, but also multilateral cooperation, equitable partnerships, and the development of co-designed, inclusive initiatives like OPERA. A key highlight of the session was the address by Ibukun Adewumi, head of IOCAFRICA, who emphasized the importance of a coordinated effort to tackle the nine priority areas outlined in the Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap. He noted that through collaborative action, OPERA could help address some of these challenges, such as ocean observing and forecasting systems for Africa and strengthening multi-hazard early warning systems and community resilience, among others. 

In conclusion, both OP4CR and OPERA are more than building software, tools and services, but will also strengthen capacity to empower sustainable ocean management. All the resources developed in the projects are designed to be shared, adapted and scaled across the respective regions and beyond, leveraging the OceanPrediction DCC. These projects also reflect the EU’s strong commitment to advancing ocean science on a global scale through international collaboration, capacity building, co-design and inclusion.

Leveraging the OceanPrediction DCC’s regional teams

In the next session, representatives, from the DCC’s regional teams came together in a panel discussion, including Swadhin Behera (JAMSTEC), Emanuela Clementi (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change - CMCC), Mauro Cirano (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ), Jennifer Veitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON) and Enrique Fanjul Alvarez who served as moderator. Speakers shared their perspectives on the potential benefits of initiatives like OPERA and OP4CR in their respective regions, particularly in building local capacity, strengthening regional coordination, and concretely demonstrating the benefits of international collaboration. It was agreed that the outcomes of these projects are expected to significantly enhance regional ocean prediction capabilities and making a meaningful contribution to SDG 14, the Ocean Decade outcomes, among other global, regional and national ocean sustainability objectives. 

The OceanPrediction DCC – a key component of the Ocean Decade 

Alison Clausen, Deputy Global Coordinator of the Ocean Decade from IOC-UNESCO closed the event, recognizing the central role of the OceanPrediction DCC in the Ocean Decade ecosystem. As a cross-cutting structure, the DCC underpins and connects various Decade Actions and projects, providing scientific, technical and coordination support and a global network necessary to advance programmes toward the Ocean Decade outcomes. The OceanPrediction DCC has made significant progress in advancing toward the vision of a “Predicted Ocean”. Through its initiatives, expert network, and capacity-strengthening efforts, the DCC is laying the groundwork for timely, accurate, and accessible ocean prediction services that support a sustainable blue economy, coastal resilience and help safeguard marine ecosystems.

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Replay: Showcasing European leadership in advancing Ocean science for sustainable development