Canada to host the 2024 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance Forum to bolster international ocean science collaboration

OTTAWA, ON, March 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The Atlantic Ocean provides Canadians with food, jobs, energy, and recreation. Its ecosystems and resources are vitally important to our economy, environment and cultures. That's why Canada proudly collaborates with likeminded countries to take coordinated action to study the Atlantic Ocean and find ocean-based science solutions to help protect it.

Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier announced that Canada will host the 2024 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, from October 8 to 10, 2024. The annual Forum will bring together representatives from the Atlantic community, including AAORIA partners like Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, the European Union, Morocco, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 2024 Forum will focus on opportunities for collaborative science including coordinating efforts on ocean observation and increasing our understanding of the relationship between ocean and climate.

Minister Lebouthillier also announced the release of Canada's Oceans Now: Atlantic Ecosystems, 2022. The report, prepared by Fisheries and Oceans Canada with contributions from Environment and Climate Change Canada, gives an overview of the state of Canada's Atlantic Ocean. It is the Department's second Atlantic Ocean status report in a series informing Canadians on the state of Canada's oceans. The report has been endorsed as a United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development activity by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

Our Atlantic Ocean is changing and having an enormous impact on the coastal communities that depend on it. By continuing to research and monitor Atlantic Ocean ecosystems with our partners, Canada is better equipped to contribute to the knowledge and solutions needed to inform sustainable ocean decisions and meet our commitments set through the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, and the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation.

"Canadians rely on healthy oceans ? they are the backbone of our economy, cultures, and ecosystems. As a maritime nation, Canada is fully committed to engaging the ocean science community to find sustainable solutions. I am honoured that Canada will be hosting the 2024 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance Forum. Together with our All-Atlantic partners, we will continue to roll up our sleeves to tackle climate challenges of today and tomorrow."

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"At COP15 in Montreal, Canada joined the world in committing to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and put nature on a path to recovery by 2050. The health of the Atlantic Ocean is vital to that mission, linked to the health of coastal communities and regional biodiversity, such as seabirds. Opportunities like hosting the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance and reports like Canada's Oceans Now: Atlantic Ecosystems 2022 help guide our actions to protect these invaluable ecosystems and the species that depend on them. Our government will continue to work together with partners across the Atlantic region to protect migratory birds, species at risk and their habitats."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

• Canada's Atlantic waters are some of the most productive marine environments in the world.
• The All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) was formalized in 2022 following the signing of the All-Atlantic Declaration, and builds upon the successes of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Cooperation and the Belém Statement on Atlantic Research and Innovation Cooperation.
• The report, Canada's Oceans Now: Atlantic Ecosystems, 2022, highlights the key challenges facing our ocean ecosystems and describes the current status and trends in Atlantic Canada's marine ecosystems up to the end of 2021.
• Canada is a proud supporter of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, an international initiative led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It encourages partners from around the world to collaborate to advance ocean science to support sustainable development of our oceans. Canada's work under AAORIA leverages and contributes to Canada's contribution to the UN Ocean Decade.

• Canada signs the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance Declaration
• Public report ? Canada's Oceans Now: Atlantic Ecosystem, 2022

• Canada's participation in the Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA)
• United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation

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• Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada