Co-designing ocean science to strengthen the ocean’s contribution to the sustainable develop­ment of coastal cities.

Hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government in collaboration with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), the first Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference will convene in Qingdao, China, in February 2025.

Building upon the momentum and outcomes of the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, this conference will mark a pivotal moment in accelerating action for the newly launched “Cities with the Ocean” Platform and be a major step towards the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference and the planned pre-Conference special event on ‘Ocean Rise and Resilience’.

This two-day, in-person conference will gather 150-200 key stakeholders from coastal cities and territories globally to facilitate knowledge exchange, showcase best practices, and foster collaboration and partnerships to address the challenges and opportunities in generating and using ocean science for sustainable development.

The challenges confronting coastal communities are vast, but together we can build the collective action to make a difference and drive forward the sustainable future of our coastal cities!