OceanEye International Alliance: Stronger Together…

The event "OceanEye International Alliance: Stronger Together for Ocean Observation" is hosted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The pledging event will convene Heads of State and Government, civil society partners and UN organisations to reaffirm their commitment to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) programme and to raise attention regarding its importance, aiming to:

• Secure resources through financial and in-kind pledges to sustain observing systems, expand observational coverage, and maintain at-risk infrastructure;
• Broaden the contributor base to build a resilient, equitably shared foundation for the future of global ocean observation;
• Strengthen coordination, including support to the GOOS Secretariat, coordination hubs and project offices, and OceanOPS (the reporting centre for observation data);
• Encourage national commitments, such as designating National Ocean Observation Focal Points, committing to national implementation plans, and connecting national ocean data with global data systems.

Ocean observation is essential for safety and security of operations at sea, a competitive blue economy, weather forecast, climate projections, ocean restoration and protection, and coastal resilience. The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) programme, co-sponsored by IOC-UNESCO and WMO, is the central hub of this effort. GOOS brings together 64 countries, 17 global observation networks, and 8,000 platforms delivering 120,000 observations per day, providing essential data to support sustainable ocean management.

Despite the importance of its work, GOOS remains vulnerable to financial and geopolitical disruptions. It depends heavily on a small number of major contributors and lacks sufficient capacity to ensure long-term stability without more sustainable funding.

Moderator: Shakuntala Santhiran