CIESM institutional mission to Cyprus — Scientific cooperation, national dialogue and shared Mediterranean priorities
Over two weeks in June 2025, CIESM actively contributed to high-level diplomatic and scientific efforts for ocean protection, from Monaco to Nice and Villeneuve-sur-Mer. Through a mix of official UNOC5 sessions and affiliated international forums, the Commission reaffirmed the central role of independent Mediterranean science in shaping global marine governance.
At the UNOC5 side events, CIESM supported and participated in a series of targeted discussions aimed at translating marine science into tangible policy. These included sessions on the vulnerability of sentinel species, the need for cross-sectoral marine monitoring, and the socio-economic value of community engagement in conservation. We co-led contributions on biodiversity, fisheries, and ocean literacy—particularly through creative outreach with youth and artists, and through the launch of Survey Initiative II, coordinated by ACCOBAMS to monitor cetaceans across regional waters.
Our interventions consistently emphasized the importance of standardizing data collection across national and institutional boundaries, fostering deeper scientific cooperation among both northern and southern Mediterranean countries.
In parallel, at the Blue Economy & Finance Forum hosted in Monaco, CIESM welcomed bold statements from Heads of State and international leaders, who highlighted the ocean’s role in ensuring global economic and environmental stability. Here, we echoed a shared message:
“That without science, there can be no lasting marine policy—and without international cooperation, science remains underused”
At the Ocean Observation Forum, CIESM underlined the critical need to expand inclusive and adaptive observation infrastructures, particularly those that integrate long-term scientific series with local coastal knowledge. Representing a broad scientific community, we called for enhanced investment in regional systems that serve both ecological and societal needs.
Finally, during UNOC, CIESM became a founding signatory of the Space4Ocean Alliance, alongside CNES, the Government of Monaco, and UNOOSA. This coalition aims to scale up the use of satellite data for marine ecosystem protection and risk management, especially in regions such as the Mediterranean and the Black Sea that are highly exposed to climate-driven impacts.
From sentinel species to space observation, CIESM’s engagements during UNOC 2025 demonstrated its commitment to bridging science and policy — and to ensuring that Mediterranean realities remain central to the global ocean agenda.