On 10 January, 2023, Coastal-SOS organized a special Ocean Decade session during the Sixth Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences (XMAS-VI). Since the first XMAS in 2014, XMAS has grown to become one of the largest international conferences in the field of marine sciences in Asia and acts as a hotspot to exchange research interests in global and regional oceans. This Ocean Decade Session invited the endorsed/planned Ocean Decade programmes or projects from Asia and other regions to demonstrate their actions and progress and to exchange ideas for initiating new cooperation under UN Ocean Decade framework.

Onsite presentation

In this session, six Ocean Decade endorsed programmes/projects provided presentations. The speakers were Dr Nianzhi Jiao from Xiamen University, lead scientist of ONCE programme; Dr Fangli Qiao from First Institute of Oceanography, lead scientist of OSF programme; Dr Xiaopei Lin from Ocean University of China, lead scientist of CSK-2 programme; Dr Xiuzhen Li from East China Normal University, lead scientist of MEGA-DELTA programme; Dr Kenneth Leung from City University of Hong Kong, lead scientist of GEM programme; Dr Ya-Wei Luo from Xiamen University, executive director of COASTAL-SOS project. About 80 people attended the session onsite and online. After each presentation, the participants had a very active discussion.

Prof. Fei Chai in the live interview on the Ocean Decade

As an important outreach activity, partnering with 70.8 Media Lab and Fujian Media Group TV Center, Dr Fei Chai from Xiamen University joined the live interview on the Ocean Decade, sharing with the public that Ocean Decade is "once in life time opportunity" to build a clean, healthy, productive, safe, predicted, accessible and inspiring ocean. He encouraged more people and groups to join in to achieve the ocean sustainability.

We believe the success of this session will strengthen the communications and cooperation among the Ocean Decade actions in Asia and beyond, jointly promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the oceans and coastal zones.