Debate on future of oceans at Monaco Ocean Week

Every year, Monaco Ocean Week features a week-long series of meetings, debates and actions focused on the oceans.

There is a need for key stakeholders with an interest in the oceans to share their views on how to address the major issues associated with preserving the marine environment and to take action to protect the oceans. It was in response to this need that Monaco Ocean Week was born. Every year, local and international experts, the scientific community, and representatives from associations and public authorities gather in the Principality (or virtually during the Covid-19 crisis) for this week-long series of meetings, debates and actions focused on the oceans.

Over the years, Monaco Ocean Week has helped to secure important commitments, such as the Monaco Manifesto for the Ocean, published and signed by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince with the French and Italian ministers responsible for the marine environment, and the signature of the Pelagos Sanctuary headquarters agreement, or the launch of the Natural Marine World Heritage in the Arctic Ocean report, which highlights seven sites in the Arctic that may be of outstanding universal value and could merit UNESCO World Heritage status.

In 2010, the Prince Albert II Foundation also established the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI), which has been active during each Monaco Ocean Week since. This high-level think tank brings together representatives from governments, the private sector, financial institutions, the scientific community and civil society. It highlights new goals for protecting the oceans, and best practices for scaling up the blue economy and blue finance. In 2022, the 13th MBI was attended by John Kerry, former Secretary of State to Barack Obama and now President Biden’s Special Envoy for Climate.