Brazil launches the National Plan for the Ocean Science Decade

Today, on 7 December, at 1 p.m., the National Plan for the Ocean Science Decade in Brazil will take place on the occasion of the 18th National Science and Technology Week in Brasilia. The Plan presents how to catalyze transformative solutions based on ocean Science for sustainable development, connecting the people to the Ocean. The objective is to promote Science as a basis for decision-making and to develop coordinated actions towards "the ocean we want".

In Brazil, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), the scientific representative in the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), is responsible for implementing the Ocean Science Decade in the country. For this, it counts on an Advisory Committee comprised of the representatives of the MCTI, UNESCO in Brazil, the Brazilian Navy, the academy, the civil society and, the private. Furthermore, in 2019, Brazil was the first country to establish a National Committee with Mobilization Support Groups in the five regions of Brazil.

The United Nations agreed upon the Decade's goals and objectives in 2020. The National Plan for the Implementation of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is a management instrument based on the results of the national consultation (Subnational Reports: N, NE, SE, S, CO), which were co-produced by more than 2,500 participants from different sectors of society in 2020 when it identified national priorities aligned with the global challenges of the Ocean Decade and the 2030 Agenda. From global to local levels, the participation of local people and institutions in the Ocean Decade is an essential step in designing and implementing these actions. The National Plan is available at http://decada.ciencianomar.mctic.gov.br/(link is external).

The MCTI will webcast(link is external)the Plan's launching event on its YouTube channel. The importance of Brazil in the Ocean Science Decade will be presented at the event by representatives of institutions participating in the Decade's Advisory Committee. The following authorities will participate in the opening ceremony: Minister Marcos Pontes; Secretary Marcelo Morales, Fábio Eon, UNESCO Coordinator for Science in Brazil; a representative of the Navy and Commander Frederico Nogueira, Vice President of the IOC. "The MCTI has worked in broad national articulation to build the ocean science that the world needs. Brazil is prepared to achieve the Decade results", says Morales.

The Week's event schedule on the Ocean and the Antarctic is available at https://semanact.mcti.gov.br/ (link is external)