Racing for Clean Seas: Sport as a game-changer in promoting ocean health and accelerating the implementation of SDG 14

The Clean Seas supported side-event at the UN Ocean Conference brings together Clean Seas partners to discuss the critical role partnerships have played in the campaign’s mission to raise public awareness in acting against marine litter and encouraging governments across the globe to implement policies and initiatives strategically focused on plastic pollution prevention.

Through a unified voice and shared values in the mission of the Clean Seas Campaign, this event provides a platform for Clean Seas partners to discuss the different ways in which they are inspiring change, encouraging good business practices, and transforming individual behaviors to scale up ocean action, science, and innovation to end plastic pollution, through the power of sport. This side event is unique in that it provides a dialogue on the ways in which sport, and sport organizations, are addressing the global problem of marine litter and plastic pollution. This panel serves as an opportunity to highlight the unique platform sport provides in amplifying the message of the need for environmental action and outlines the reasons why and how governmental agencies should work with sport organizations to build capacity and knowledge around the negative impact of the plastic lifecycle and its effects on our waterways.

The panel will discuss the different ways in which they are engaging their local communities to devise innovative solutions to improve community efforts and citizen science around marine pollution as well as the role partnerships play in creating global action and inspiring new policy and legislative changes from governmental institutions. 

We would also like to use this opportunity to announce and celebrate new members joining the Clean Seas campaign. We are inviting key representatives from the United States, the European Commission, and Portugal to share and reflect on their voluntary commitments to “turn the tide” on marine litter and plastic pollution, highlight their success stories in this focus area, and consider actionable steps forward in the context of the Ocean Decade and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process. In joining UNEP, the IOC, and Clean Seas partners, Clean Seas members will have the opportunity to further comment on the importance for collaboration between the public and private sectors and the ways in which sport can create a unique opportunity and platform to encourage new policies and initiatives to combat plastic pollution at the government, industry, and civil society levels.

Proposed Speakers

Julie Duffus, International Olympic Committee Hannah Mills, IOC Ambassador and Founder of Big Plastic Pledge Ana Agostinho, Mirpuri Foundation and the Ocean Race Theresa Zabell, Fundacion Ecomar Toby Gregory, Arabian Ocean Rowing Team Raimundo Tamagnini, Arabian Ocean Rowing Team High level Representative from the United States of America High level Representative from the European Commission High level Representative from Portugal 

Proposed Agenda

1:00PM-1:20PM: Introductory and welcoming remarks of new Clean Seas members: United States of America, the European Commission, and Portugal

Discuss the launch of the Clean Seas campaign and its linkage to the new plastic pollution that was agreed upon at UNEA 5.2 and required efforts in the next 2 years to develop a globally and legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. Discuss linkage to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Plastic pollution is a transboundary issue.

1:20PM-1:40PM: Quick round introduction of panelists and projects; Brief introduction of organization and background that has helped bring synergies between sport, sporting background, and the role in mitigating plastic pollution. 

1:40PM-2:00PM: What role can sport and the sport industry specifically play in engaging different stakeholders (e.g. governments, business, NGOs, and individuals) to more deliberately engage in addressing the plastic pollution problem?

2:00PM-2:10PM: What role is your organization playing in engaging local communities to devise innovative solutions to improve community efforts and citizen science around marine pollution?

2:10-2:15PM: What makes you hopeful in developing solutions to end plastic pollution and how do you see Member States, the private sector, and civil society organizations playing a more active and collaborative role in “turning the tide” on plastic?