Session: Advancing Arctic Observation and Data Actions within the U.N. Ocean Decade Plan
Organizer: Maureen Biermann
Date/Time: 28 March 2022, 2:00-6:00 p.m. Central European Time

Session Abstract:

This event will serve as a forum for discussing how to implement the Ocean Decade - Arctic Action Plan, specifically focusing on how to advance observing and data actions within the Arctic/UNDOS plan.

The United Nations (U.N.) has declared a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘Ocean Decade’, UNDOS) for 2021-2030. In June 2021, the Ocean Decade - Arctic Action Plan was published. As the document reads, the “…target group for the Plan is broad, including the general global public and Arctic Indigenous and local Peoples but it is also relevant for strategic work that supports ocean science…” and “…the rights holders and other stakeholders are key actors in the global Ocean Decade given their role as decision makers at diverse jurisdictional levels, and are thus expected to take the initiative forward…”

The plan identifies three types of challenges: research challenges, organizational challenges, and uptake challenges. One of the solutions suggested is to “observe the state of Arctic environments and development trends in near-real time supported by information services that are tailored to the needs of Indigenous peoples, science, environmental management, and industry. This includes co-designed sustained observation programmes…” and, among other things, the “establishment of a distributed pan-Arctic observation programme.”

This event will serve as an opportunity to discuss:

  • How implementation of these solutions can be undertaken, specifically in reference to Arctic observation and data;
  • Mechanisms for evaluating and addressing the progress of the Arctic Action Plan, such as that currently undertaken by IASC in the form of the development of a task force;
  • Possible input that may be provided to such a task force, once developed;
  • Aspects that need broader community buy-in in order to prioritize initial concrete, actionable activities; and
  • How to address the challenge of predicting future change in a way that meets stakeholder needs.

For more information about the session, go to:
Session webpage

For questions about this session, contact:
Maureen Biermann
Email: mmbiermann@alaska.edu