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, from 26 to 27 February 2025.

Coastal cities are among the fastest-growing human settlements in the world. They have much to benefit from the growth of a sustainable ocean economy, but also face escalating threats from climate change, ocean pollution, and other environmental risks. The Ocean Decade presents a unique opportunity to harness ocean science and knowledge to address these challenges, enhance the resilience of coastal cities to global change, and improve the living conditions and well-being of their inhabitants.

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!

For further details on the Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference, visit Ocean Decade – First Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference: Better Ocean, Better City.