2025 UN Ocean Conference

The Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia is excited to have a large team of faculty, researchers and students attending the 2025 UN Ocean Conference June 9 – 13, 2025, in Nice, France.

Through its Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity (Solving FCB) Nexus unit, it will also be holding two side events at UNOC.

Small but Powerful: harnessing the diversity of small-scale fisheries to solve the sustainability challenges at the food-climate-biodiversity nexus

Organizers: UBC, the University of Costa Rica, MarViva and Xiamen University

The event focuses on the instrumental role of sustainable small-scale fisheries in achieving desirable ocean futures, including food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. We will discuss actions that leverage the multi-dimensional values and diversity of small-scale producers to support SDG 14 and beyond, by consolidating knowledge from case studies under the transdisciplinary partnership, “Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus”. Researchers from the Solving FCB project, including UBC’s own Dr. Rashid Sumaila and Dr. William Cheung, will discuss actions from across five case studies in Canada, China, Costa Rica, and West Africa.

Panelists will highlight outcomes from the Solving-FCB Partnership, which investigates various communities of ocean action such as marine and coastal ecosystems management, sustainable fisheries and the Blue Economy. We will announce our commitment to advancing this partnership as part of the Voluntary Ocean Commitments, reinforcing our dedication to sustainable ocean management and conservation.

Presenters will discuss the relationship between small-scale fisheries, in diverse geographic contexts, and cross-cutting ocean-climate-biodiversity issues that link with targets for SDG 14, as well as SDGs 1, 2 and 13. These linkages include reducing pollution, eliminating IUU fishing and exploring Nature-Based Solutions. https://solvingfcb.org/about/goals-objectives/

Small-Scale Fishers: at the center of ocean governance and food security

Organizers: African Confederation of Professional Organisations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA), Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy, Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA), CoopeSoliDar R.L., BlueVentures, Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), and many small-scale fisher organizations from across the world

The objectives of the event are to:

• Highlight the vital role of small-scale fishers (SSF) in the future of the ocean—including food security, decent work, tenure and access rights, safeguarding from Blue Economy industries, and a human rights-based approach to marine conservation;
• Listen directly to the voice of fishers sharing their challenges and pivotal role in the equitable economy needed for ocean conservation and the advances towards a human rights-based approach in the conservation of their marine territories of life; and
• Promote a constructive dialogue between small scale fisher movements, academia and other organizations concerning knowledge generation under a human rights-based approach.