The entire conference agenda will focus on biodiversity and conservation. If you have ever tuned into to the language of most any legislative body, you will have heard the florid address and convoluted argument in moderated argument and modulated tone that characterizes the most fervid debate. Never have I heard such a radical term used in such events, there being a definite level of diplomatic nicety in every exchange between all parties, as if the politeness and deference accorded to those with whom you agree must also always be extended to those with whom you may violently disagree. But you cannot imagine my surprise at the title of the designated session, Biodiversity, conservation and the interface with human need and greed. So you can imagine my surprise, the World Ocean Observatory being something of an outlier among government institutions, ocean organizations, and civil society insiders, our purpose being communications beyond the defined limits of the more narrow missions of most attendees. For someone with my interest, it is a heady place to be. The conference, then, is a kind of public report of accomplishment, concern, and inter-action between ocean bureaucrats and administrators, scholars and research scientists, and academics and ocean advocates worldwide. The IOC is charged with coordinating all UN ocean activities through an inter-organizational working group call UN-Ocean, bringing together the cross-cutting interests and activities of the ten or more UN organizations with some kind of ocean brief. The Commission, known as the IOC, is part of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, and typically gathers together nearly 1000 delegates from UN divisions, national governments, non-governmental organizations, universities and research institutes to address the state of the international ocean agenda, its goals and objectives, and progress, or the lack thereof, since the last meeting. Sometimes I have attended as humble registrant, other times I have presented papers and power points, but never have I been invited to moderate a session, to shape a presentation and discussion on a specific topic, and so you can imagine my astonishment when the invitation came to organize a presentation at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission semi-annual summit on ocean research to be held in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2014. Over the decade since the founding of the World Ocean Observatory, I have attended many conferences and international meetings on ocean policy and issues – on such topics as climate policy, marine education, oceanographic research, and the ocean and national security, among others. I’m Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory.
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