At the conference, Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program affiliates will be hosting a side event at the UN Oceans Conference. The event on “The Role of the Oceans in Sustainability: Benefits of Achieving SDG 14 for all Sustainable Development Goals” will be held between 5:00pm and 6:15pm in room 6 of the UNHQ. Nereus Program Director of Policy Yoshi Ota, Program Manager & Research Associate Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor, Senior Fellow Gerald Singh, Principal Investigator Quentin Hanich, Alumnus Wilf Swartz, and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions Ocean and Coastal Policy Program Director John Virdin will be speaking at the side event.

Discussion at this side event will be focused on how research indicates that achieving SDG 14 ocean targets contributes to the achievement of other SDG targets. Such co-benefits of pursuing SDG 14 targets will be considered in the context of our changing ocean due to climate change and social equity. Speakers will be addressing the Call for Action through presentations regarding important marine scientific and legal knowledge to achieve all SDG 14 targets, highlighting existing and future potential for integrated, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships to achieve SDGs.