The Moll de Mestral dock will host talks, exhibitions and shows for all audiences that show science's contribution to responsible ocean management and the deep connection between the sea and Mediterranean culture
The UNESCO conference dovetails with the final phase of the Port Olímpic transformation, which aims to position the Port as a space for promoting and disseminating activities linked to the blue economy, the nautical sector and marine ecosystem conservation
The Port Olímpic is getting ready to become one of the settings for the Satellite Events of the UNESCO Ocean Decade Conference, the international summit that will gather the international science community in Barcelona from 8 to 12 April to address the challenges that need to be tackled in order to achieve responsible ocean management by 2030. The renovated Moll de Mestral dock will host a series of talks and social and cultural events and activities designed to raise citizens’ awareness of our deep connection with the ocean.
The Espai Mestral, the events space in the Port Olímpic’s blue economy hub, will host part of the programme of talks and panel discussions, which will begin on 8 April with a series of talks promoted by the Institute of Sea Sciences (ICM/CSIC) and the Basque Country Association for UNESCO (UN Etxea) about gender equality in ocean science and the scientific contributions to ocean research made by women.
The morning of the second day, the Port Olímpic will host the debates organised by Mission Atlantic, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Peace Boat US about how innovation and marine policies can contribute to restoring marine ecosystems; the possibilities afforded by collaboration between the public administration, the scientific community and society to carry out the initiatives proposed in the Ocean Decade plan; and future generations of scientists’ view of sustainable ocean management.
Taking place in the afternoon is the symposium ‘Conservation and Protection of the Oceans: A Shared Responsibility’ co-organised by the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation and Barcelona Global, which will bring together port and marine authorities and representatives to look at how urban infrastructures might contribute to protecting marine ecosystems and what strategies and innovations enable us to move towards the decarbonisation of the nautical sector. One of the panel discussions will feature Olga Cerezo, director of the Port Olímpic, who will be talking about how the Port Olímpic’s transformation is contributing to protecting the marine environment.
Culture and leisure to explore the relationship between society and the sea
In addition to the programme of talks, the Port Olímpic will be hosting exhibitions and shows open to the public which will highlight the deep connection between the sea and Mediterranean culture. These activities will begin the weekend prior to the Ocean Decade Conference.
Between 6 and 14 April, the Moll de Mestral dock will be the setting for the outdoor exhibition Parlem del mar per parlar de nosaltres (Let's Talk about the Sea to Talk about Ourselves), organised by the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation, which aims to show the impact of the sea on innovation and sustainability, and on Catalan culture, sport and cuisine. Raising awareness of the core role oceans play in our lives is also at the heart of the family show ‘SalvaMars Cirkus’, which will be taking place on Sunday 7 April. Through the medium of theatre, it shows the problems caused by plastic in the sea and the effects of climate change.
The Port Olímpic programme during the Ocean Decade Conference also includes the UNESCO Ocean&Climate Village, which features the interactive exhibition ‘I, the Child of the Ocean’ by the European platform EU4Ocean, showing from 6 to 12 April, along with an educational experience for discovering the relationship between the climate and the conservation and biodiversity of oceans.
A port committed to the dissemination of marine knowledge and culture
With the programme of activities linked to the Ocean Decade Conference, the Port Olímpic is demonstrating its commitment to becoming a hub that promotes activities and events linked to the blue economy, the nautical sector and marine conservation with the capacity to mobilise the sector's key agents and to raise citizens’ awareness of the need to responsibly manage marine ecosystems.
The Ocean Decade Conference is taking place during the final phase of the Port Olímpic transformation project. Visitors will be able to enjoy the renovated Plaça de Mestral, a new public space measuring more than 8,000 m2, which, together with the Sea Wall, will be home to more than 50 venues in Barcelona's first blue economy business centre. With this project, the Port Olímpic seeks to promote the growth of the sector.
The business centre also features the Espai Mestral, an auditorium with a capacity for 170 people where the talks and panel discussions of the UNESCO event will take place, and a space that will play a key role in making the Port Olímpic a dynamic space for presenting innovations and promoting the growth of the blue economy and projects linked to the nautical sector and marine environmental management.
