New Publication: Universities and the UN Ocean Decade: a vision for 2030 and beyond

As we reach the halfway point of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), stakeholders, researchers, and actors from organizations and universities across the globe have come together and authored a paper to guide universities on how they can prepare the next generation of professionals to to tackle challenges related to marine sustainablity.

The paper “Universities and the UN Ocean Decade: A vision for 2030 and beyond”, highlights how many marine programmes remain siloed within highly specific disciplinary tracks. Students graduate with strong technical expertise, but often with limited exposure to cross-sector collaboration, policy engagement, industry realities, or systems thinking. The authors identify four priority areas for institutional leaders to develop to meet workforce needs: expanding interdisciplinary marine courses that bridge natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering; improving ocean literacy by offering accessible sustainability courses for non-specialists; integrating key competencies—such as co-design, systems thinking, and science–policy communication—into existing curricula; and connecting theoretical learning with real-world local and regional needs through community partnerships. However, progress is constrained by barriers including disciplinary silos, economic and funding structures that discourage cross-faculty teaching, heavy faculty workloads, and uneven global capacity.

Read the full paper here.