Our Ocean Conference 2015

The Second Our Ocean Conference convened from 5-6 October 2015 in Valparaiso, Chile. The Government of Chile organized the meeting in close cooperation with the US State Department and other partners. The Conference aimed to promote voluntary governmental and institutional commitments to care for the ocean.

Over 500 participants attended the meeting from 56 countries, representing governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector. An additional 900 participants joined two parallel events at the National Congress and Federico Santa María Technical University.

The conference began with a high-level opening. Additional high-level segments focused on ocean commitments and a regional high-level segment. Participants convened in six panels over the two-day conference on: marine protected areas (MPAs); ocean acidification; marine pollution; ocean champions; sustainable fisheries; local communities; and law of the sea governance.

The Conference generated US$2.1 billion in commitments on oceans. Commitments focused on, inter alia: tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; creating and expanding MPAs; addressing marine debris and marine pollution; and raising awareness on oceans and building capacity to address ocean challenges.