The Virtual Ocean Pavilion at UNFCCC COP29
The fourth annual Virtual Ocean Pavilion (VOP) was held from 6 – 22 November 2024 opening ahead of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29, 11 – 22 November 2024) and lasting for its duration. With the overall coordination by the Global Ocean Forum (GOF) in close partnership with the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), it was co-organized by the GOF and PML together with 19 collaborating partners.
The Virtual Ocean Pavilion is an online platform dedicated to raising the visibility of the ocean and showcasing why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. With the COP29 pavilion, the organizers and sponsors continued to encourage a wide range of involvement to reach those that cannot attend COP29 in-person. These efforts provided access to a long-lasting resource for all, democratizing access to the ocean at COPs while increasing knowledge – leaving no one behind.
In addition to the COP29 priorities, the Virtual Ocean Pavilion addressed the opportunity presented by the new Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction to leverage the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus and accelerate the implementation of ocean-climate action. It will also focused on the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) ocean action panel themes, which aims to accelerate action and mobilize all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean by supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14).
The Pavilion for COP29 enabled engagement with and visibility of ocean-related issues to augment the in-person COP experience through interactive features. Some of these features included:
- Panel sessions focusing on key messages emanating from the High-Level Climate Change Champions, Ocean Breakthroughs, other MP-GCA initiatives, and the 2024 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to provide input to these discussions;
- A wide variety of exhibits, including booths showcasing national and international initiatives on ocean and climate;
- Multiple opportunities for networking and developing synergies among attendees;
- Educational resources shared through virtual exhibit booths, Treasure Trove, and other areas throughout the virtual platform;
- A gateway to ocean and climate stories from around the world; and
- Links to other ocean events at and around the COP.
Pavilion Features
Live Events
Nine live events were conducted during the COP29 VOP, which featured eminent high level speakers from national and regional organizations, intergovernmental organization representatives, ocean and climate experts, and youth leaders from around the world. The events addressed science, finance, partnership and capacity building, public education, collaboration and coordination with a focus on strengthening ocean and climate action as well as securing a place for the ocean in the climate negotiations. Visit the Global Ocean Forum’s YouTube Channel to watch recordings of the live events.
Exhibits
Eleven diverse and wide-ranging exhibits organized by leading ocean and climate organizations to showcase new and ongoing ocean-climate-biodiversity initiatives were featured in the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Exhibit Hall. The 11 exhibition booths were used by collaborating partners and sponsors to showcase their activities and resources on ocean and climate action. The booths provided access to information that attendees were able ‘take away’ in their virtual delegate bags as well as venues for informal meetings with experts and networking among exhibit hosts and attendees.
| Title | Organizer |
| Plymouth Marine Laboratory | Plymouth Marine Laboratory |
| United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) |
| Ocean Equity Research | ANCORS |
| Thermal Dome: an opportunity for the protection of the high sea | MarViva Foundation |
| Advancing Strategic Ocean Communication | Communications INC |
| African Union Development Agency (AUDA- NEPAD) | African Union Development Agency (AUDA- NEPAD) |
| Center for Coastal Studies | Center for Coastal Studies |
| The Blue Ports Initiative (BPI) | The Blue Ports Initiative (BPI) |
| TBA21–Academy | TBA21–Academy |
| Promoting sustainable use of marine resources and biodiversity conservation in the areas beyond national jurisdiction | The Common Oceans Program |
COP29 Ocean Events Tracker
The Pavilion became a gateway to COP29 ocean-related events through the COP29 Ocean Events Tracker, which was organized by the Global Ocean Forum and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Information gathered through the tracker was incorporated into a calendar of ocean events accessible through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion Lobby. In addition, the Virtual Ocean Pavilion team reviewed programs of COP29 Pavilions and solicited input from collaborating partners to showcase as many ocean-related events during the COP as possible. There were approximately 170 ocean-related events included in the COP29 compilation.
Treasure Trove
The Treasure Trove is prepared daily by the Pavilion secretariat and includes the latest updates on ocean and climate happenings in and around COP29. Peruse this valuable resource to find spotlights on our interactive exhibit booths, highlights of upcoming Pavilion and COP29 events, stories from the sea, trivia, and other exciting highlights from this year’s COP.
- 20 and 21 November
- 19 November
- 18 November
- 15 November
- 14 November
- 13 November
- 12 November
- 11 November
- 10 November
- 9 November
- 8 November
- 7 November
- 6 November
COP29 Summary Documents
A pre-final summary report on the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion is available here. A final report will be shared once the post-event survey is finalized.
Summaries of select roundtable discussions drafted in collaboration with roundtable participants and speakers are included below.
COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Collaborating Partners
The Virtual Ocean Pavilion would not be possible without the support of its many collaborating partners. This year’s Virtual Ocean Pavilion is supported by the following organizations:
- Global Ocean Forum
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory
- Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
- Communications INC
- Center for Coastal Studies
- World Maritime University
- Nausicaá Centre National de la Mer
- World Ocean Network
- Fauna & Flora
- MarViva
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Academy
- University of Delaware Mangone Climate Change Science & Policy Hub
- University of the South Pacific
- University of the West Indies
- Island Innovation
- Common Oceans Program
- Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Follow the links above to learn more about the many initiatives undertaken by the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion collaborating partners to raise the visibility of the ocean and showcase why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. Details on how to get involved and support the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion are included below.
How to Get Involved
Contact Miriam Balgos (mbalgos@globaloceanforum.com), Catie Mitchell (cmitchell@globaloceanforum.com), and Thecla Keizer (tke@pml.ac.uk) to get involved with future iterations of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Contributions and donations to support the organization of the Pavilion are always welcome. Please consider donating here.
For more information on past Virtual Ocean Pavilions, see the COP26, COP27 and COP28 Virtual Ocean Pavilion web pages, or view their summary reports, available here.
The Virtual Ocean Pavilion was launched during the UNFCCC COP26 (held in Glasgow, 31 October – 12 November 2021). A second was organized during COP27 (held in Sharm El Sheik, 6 – 18 November 2022), and a third was organized at COP28 (held in Dubai, 30 November – 12 December 2023).
Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Initiative 