The Virtual Ocean Pavilion at UNFCCC COP31

The sixth annual Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be held from 2 to 20 November 2026, opening ahead of the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP31, 9 to 20 November 2026) and lasting for its duration. The Global Ocean Forum (GOF) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) will return as co-organizers. If you are interested in collaborating to support this year’s Pavilion, please complete the Expression of Interest form by 30 September.

Pavilion Aims

Building on the momentum of past Virtual Ocean Pavilions (COP26, COP27, COP28, COP29, and COP30) the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion:

• Continues to raise the profile of the ocean among members of the ocean and climate community and the public;
• Provides a communication platform for those who are unable to participate in COP31 in person from various parts of the world;
• Addresses COP31 priorities while promoting the incorporation of the ocean into UNFCCC processes; and
• Encouraged cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration on ocean-climate action at the national, regional, and global levels.

Additional focal areas to be highlighted during the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be established in close consultation with the Pavilion Co-organizers and Partners.

Participation

Registration will be available following the launch of the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion landing page. As always, registration is free and open to all. Attendees will have online access to live ocean events from 2 to 20 November and on-demand content from 21 November to 21 December. All you will need is a Wi-Fi connection and a smart phone, tablet, or computer. Following each live event, on-demand event recordings will be available throughout the duration of the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion.

Pavilion Features

Key Messages

Key messages emanating from the COP31 Presidency, the 2026 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, and Activation Group 7 on Efforts to preserve and restore oceans and coastal ecosystems (AG7) will be formulated and promoted through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Collaborators of the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will lead the crafting of these messages, which will be the focus of live events and roundtables. All attendees are encouraged to review, reflect, and react to the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion key messages.

Live Events

The COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will offered a series of live events featuring 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 address the Pavilion aims through dialogues incorporating science, finance, partnership and capacity building, public education, and collaboration with a focus on strengthening ocean and climate action as well as securing a place for the ocean in the climate negotiations.

Exhibits

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 COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Exhibit Hall. The exhibition booths showcase ocean and climate activities and resources of collaborating partners and sponsors. The booths also provide access to information that attendees can ‘take away’ in virtual delegate bags as well as venues for informal meetings with experts and networking among exhibit hosts and attendees.

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable discussions will be held during the live days of the Pavilion. These forums provide smaller, more intimate spaces where ideas on how to promote the key messages and address other ocean-climate-biodiversity themes can be equally exchanged by participants.

COP31 Ocean Events Tracker

The Pavilion offers a gateway to COP31 ocean-related events through the COP31 Ocean Events Tracker. Information gathered through the tracker will be incorporated into a calendar of ocean events accessible through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion Lobby. In addition, the Virtual Ocean Pavilion team will review programs of COP31 Pavilions and solicited input from collaborating partners to showcase as many ocean-related events during the COP as possible.

Treasure Trove

The Treasure Trove will be prepared daily by the Pavilion secretariat and includes the latest updates on ocean and climate happenings in and around COP31. Attendees can peruse this valuable resource to find spotlights on our interactive exhibit booths, highlights of upcoming Pavilion and COP31 events, stories from the sea, trivia, and other exciting highlights from this year’s COP.

How to Get Involved

A Call for Collaboration

Please complete the Expression of Interest form by 30 September if you would like to collaborate on the implementation of the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Contact Miriam Balgos (mbalgos@globaloceanforum.com), Catie Mitchell (cmitchell@globaloceanforum.com), and Thecla Keizer (tke@pml.ac.uk) for more information on how to get involved with the Pavilion.

Support the COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion

The Virtual Ocean Pavilion is organized through a volunteer effort facilitated by a dedicated team of co-organizers and collaborating partners. Contributions and donations to support the organization of the Pavilion are always welcome. Please consider donating here.

Learn from Past Pavilions

For more information on past Virtual Ocean Pavilions, see the COP26, COP27, COP28, COP29, and COP30 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), a third was organized at COP28 (held in Dubai, 30 November – 12 December 2023), a fourth was organized at COP29 (held in Baku, Azerbaijan 11 – 22 November 2024), and a fifth was organized at COP30 (held in Belém, Brazil 10 to 21 November 2026).