Ocean literacy and capacity development take centre stage in Rio de Janeiro. A full-day Special Event during Ocean Decade Week 2027 will advance the Ocean Skills and Inspiration Blueprint. Proposal submissions are open until 8 November 2026.
Educators, communicators, researchers, knowledge holders, artists, youth and Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) worldwide are invited to shape “Learning Together, Acting Together: Advancing the Ocean Skills and Inspiration Blueprint”, one of the Pre-Conference Special Events of the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference.
The Special Event will take place in Rio de Janeiro on 5 or 6 April 2027, from 9:00 to 18:00. It is part of Ocean Decade Week (5–9 April 2027) and precedes the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference (7–9 April), hosted by Brazil and co-organized by IOC-UNESCO, Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro.
The day is dedicated to the Ocean Decade Solution on Ocean Skills and Inspiration. It brings together the ocean literacy and capacity development communities to exchange experiences, spark new ideas and build collective action.
Two kinds of sessions, one shared goal
The programme combines Blueprint-oriented sessions, which examine, strengthen and broaden the draft Blueprint, with inspiration sessions that showcase initiatives, stories and practices showing ocean skills and inspiration in action across regions and generations. Formats will be interactive and diverse: co-creation labs, world cafés, policy dialogues, innovation showcases, and cultural and artistic interventions.
What the call is looking for
• Ocean literacy: education, communication, knowledge systems, research and innovation, and cultural and natural heritage.
• Capacity development: data, skills and institutional capacity, and knowledge exchange.
• Cross-cutting themes: financing, partnerships, co-production, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI), and locally relevant approaches in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other capacity-constrained contexts.
Particular attention will go to how ocean literacy and capacity development can support national priorities, including ocean- and coastal-related actions in NDCs, National Adaptation Plans and national ocean policies. Proposals led by or developed with partners from SIDS, least developed countries and other under-represented regions are especially encouraged.
What the day will deliver
The Special Event will produce a structured synthesis of community input to inform the Blueprint and the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference, together with new partnerships, voluntary commitments and greater visibility for inspiring initiatives worldwide. It offers at least 18 hours of Individual Sessions, interactive marketplaces to share and connect outputs, and a closing plenary presenting consolidated results.
How to apply
Individual Session proposals must be submitted in English through the official online portal by 8 November 2026, 23:59 UTC. Selected organizers will be confirmed in December 2026. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2027_IndividualSessions
About the consortium
The Special Event is led by Maré de Ciência UNIFESP and co-organized with UNESCO (IOC, Education Sector, SIDS Section, Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems – LINKS, Ocean Literacy With All (OLWA), Blue School Global Network (BSGN), ECOP Programme, the Cultural Heritage Framework Programme (CHFP)); EU DG MARE; the Center for Ocean Literacy Collaboration (COLC); Communications Inc.; POGO; Boticário Group Foundation; Institute-e; and UN DOALOS.
About the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference
The Conference will be the centrepiece of Ocean Decade Week and is expected to gather approximately 3,000 participants from governments, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, scientific institutions, Indigenous peoples, philanthropy, civil society, youth networks and the private sector.
