Seventeen philanthropic Foundations have launched a joint statement on the occasion of the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, to raise awareness for the need to increase investment in ocean science to support sustainable development. The Foundations Dialogue of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – an informal, global network of community, corporate and private Foundations that have chosen to work together to support the vision of the Ocean Decade – today launched The Bouknadel Statement affirming their commitment to investing in transformative ocean science. The Statement was launched during an event celebrating the Ocean Decade during the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.
The Statement recognizes the central role of the ocean in human health, safety and wellbeing but recognizes that significant gaps remain in ocean knowledge if sustainable development and climate goals are to be met. Via the statement, the group of Foundations that make up the Foundations Dialogue recognize their unique role in supporting the co-design and communication of ocean science, as well as in investing in capacity development including in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. The Foundations also highlight the need for the philanthropic community to develop new and innovative partnerships and tools, including blended financing, to meet the investment ambition of the Ocean Decade.
The Bouknadel Statement was the result of discussions of the Foundations Dialogue over several months in 2021 and 2022 that culminated in a meeting in Sidi Bouknadel, Morocco, in June 2022 at the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, the academic branch of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Patron of the Ocean Decade Alliance.