Call for proposals for Decade Action Incubator
The UN Ocean Decade Kickoff Conference for the Western Pacific and its adjacent areas presents a unique opportunity for various ocean stakeholders in the region, to organize side events aiming to catalyze partnerships, and initiate co-design of transformative ocean science solutions to the Ocean Decade Challenges in order to achieve the Ocean Decade Outcomes. For more details about Ocean Decade, please refer to Ocean Decade Implementation Plan.
The side event entitled “Decade Action Incubator” will serve as an interactive forum to catalyze partnerships, strengthen dialogue from ocean knowledge generator to knowledge user, initiate co-designing processes, and facilitate the development of potential Decade Actions such as Decade programmes[1], Decade projects[2], and key cross-cutting topics including capacity development and Early Career Ocean Professionals. Each side event will run for a period of two hours.
The proposed Decade Action Incubator shall address one or more of the seven Ocean Decade Outcomes as follows:
- A Clean Ocean where sources of pollution are identified and reduced or removed.
- A Healthy and Resilient Ocean where marine ecosystems are understood, protected, restored and managed.
- A Productive Ocean supporting sustainable food supply and a sustainable ocean economy.
- A Predicted Ocean where society understands and can respond to changing ocean conditions.
- A Safe Ocean where life and livelihoods are protected from ocean-related hazards.
- A Transparent and Accessible Ocean with open and equitable access to data, information and technology and innovation.
- An Inspiring and Engaging Ocean where society understands and values the ocean in relation to human wellbeing and sustainable development.
Decade Action Incubators, as an integral part of the Decade Regional Kickoff Conference, will be organized virtually on 25-26 November 2021, except 1300-1500 pm, 25 November 2021.
The submission shall be made by filling out the event application form, providing a detailed description of the event, and how the event would contribute to one or more of the societal outcomes and challenges of the Decade.
Selection criteria for Decade Action Incubator
Each proposal will be assessed both in terms of the quality of running the Incubator session, and proposed potential Decade Action.
The basic criteria for selection include the following:
- Alignment with the vision and mission of the Ocean Decade, and contribution to the societal outcomes and challenges of the Ocean Decade;
- Generation of transformative ocean science[3] in comparison to what has been done before;
- Promotion of multidisciplinary, solution-oriented approach;
- Engagement of broad stakeholders, including private sector and major groups, and promotion of their interactions and actions;
- Consideration given to gender balance and geographic representation in the choice of speakers and panelists;
A small selection panel may be established, consisting of representatives of the following organizations: IOC and its WESTPAC, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, Member of the Interim Decade Advisory Board, Early Career Ocean Professionals, and invited ocean science experts from UN Member States in the region.
Responsibility of the organizers
The logistics of the Decade Action Incubator, such as a virtual platform allocation and the setting up of audiovisual equipment, need to be arranged in collaboration with the conference secretariat (iocwestpac@unesco.org). The organizers of the Incubator will be responsible for the following:
- Identifying speakers and panelists;
- Inviting participants from Member States, major groups and other stakeholders;
- Preparing the event programme and a summary report on the event and sharing it with the conference secretariat (iocwestpac@unesco.org);
- Conducting the event in English.
Communication
All queries relating to “Decade Action Incubators” should be addressed to the following:
UNESCO/IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)
Email: iocwestpac@unesco.org
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
Email: Thailand.dmcr@gmail.com
[1] A Decade programme is typically global or regional in scale and will contribute to the achievement of one or more of the Ocean Decade Challenges. It is long-term (multi-year), interdisciplinary and will consist of component projects, and potentially enabling activities
[2] A Decade project is a discrete and focused undertaking. It may be regional, national or sub-national and it will typically contribute to an identified Decade programmed.
[3] The notion of transformation is central to the Decade. The Decade, both in terms of action and outcomes, needs to move beyond business as usual to a true revolution in ocean science. The different ways in which the transformative nature of the Decade will manifest include the promotion and facilitation of ocean science that:
- uses the 2030 Agenda as a central framework to identify and address the most pressing societal questions related to SDG14 and related SDGs;
- is co-designed and co-delivered in a multi-stakeholder environment to be relevant and responsive across the entire value-chain from knowledge generation, to applications and services to use of science for solutions;
- is solutions-focused and contributes to a wide variety of potential solutions including policy, decision-making, management or governance frameworks, or technology development and innovation;
- where needed, is big, audacious, forward-looking, and spans geographies;
- reaches across disciplines and actively integrates natural and social science disciplines;
- embraces local and indigenous knowledge as a key knowledge source;
- is transformative because of who is doing it or where it is being done, including in both less developed and developed countries;
- strives for generational, gender and geographic diversity in all its manifestations;
- is communicated in forms that are widely understood across society and that trigger excitement about the ocean and behavior change; and
- is shared openly and available for re-use.