12th Annual World Ocean Summit & Expo

The summit convenes the widest cross-section of the ocean community from business and finance to government, national and international policy-makers, civil society and academia. It is designed to instigate action to develop the sustainable ocean economy; to encourage new partnerships across industries, with NGOs, scientists, technology developers and investors. By bringing together all stakeholders in the ocean ecosystem, the summit provides the perfect platform to inspire new synergies, solutions and strategies on the track to meet the 2030 targets in UN SDG 14.

The 12th annual summit will focus on the transition to a sustainable ocean economy,  ocean stewardship, strategies to restore ocean health, advancements in marine technology and collaborative efforts to address ocean pollution. The agenda will include a series of “How to” workshops designed to generate tangible action points and key takeaways to enable organisations to instigate change and make an impact on the journey towards a healthier ocean.

The summit in Tokyo will continue action-based conversations on the key themes from recent World Ocean Summits, as well as provide a vital opportunity for participants from Asia to engage with the global ocean community ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2025.

Plymouth Marine Laboratory’s Director of Science Professor Steve Widdicombe will be in the conversation titled ‘Ocean on the brink: Understanding escalating climate impacts’ and the panel focusing on ‘Ocean acidification: the way forward. Professor Tim Smyth will provide a ‘Showcase’ talk titled ‘ ‘Satellite seascapes: applying advanced technology to tackle marine pollution’.