Official Side-Event

 Turning the Tide: Advancing Science, Solutions, and Cooperation on the Tropical Atlantic Sargassum Situation

June 10th, 2025, 3pm - 6.30pm 
Mama Shelter - Nice, France

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 Turning the Tide: Advancing Science, Solutions, and Cooperation on the Tropical Atlantic Sargassum Situation

As part of a broader three-part initiative during the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, June 2025, this event will explore the technical aspects of the ongoing Sargassum crisis affecting the Caribbean and Atlantic coastal regions. 

 Held off-site at the Nice Mama Shelter hotel, this event is uniquely designed for both a technical and non-technical audience, including policymakers, civil society actors, private sector stakeholders, and media. It will translate complex scientific and technical knowledge into accessible insights, emphasizing actionable strategies. Key themes will include biodiversity conservation in the face of massive Sargassum influxes, technological advancements in monitoring and forecasting Sargassum blooms, and the development of sustainable value chains that transform Sargassum from a hazard into a resource. 

The final session will foster the understanding of the technical challenges and opportunities associated with Sargassum, to encourage cross-sector collaboration, and build momentum for knowledge-based decisions and solutions. By bridging the gap between science and policy, this event will contribute to the larger UNOC3 dialogue on ocean resilience and sustainable blue economies.

Registration is now closed. For more information, please contact ahasson@mercator-ocean.fr.

Tuesday 10th June, 2025
Agenda

14:00 - 15:00
Welcome Coffee
15:00 - 16:00
High-level Session: Political Momentum and Regional Leadership
Session chair: Lydia Barfleur (Region Guadeloupe) Welcome notes from organisers: Dr. Audrey Hasson - GEO Blue Planet Blue Zone event restitution: - Claudia Taboada - Dominican Republic - Sylvie Gustave Dit-Duflo - Région Guadeloupe Short addresses: - Ambassador Arnaud Mentré - French Government - Ambassador Safiya Sawney - Government of Grenada - Ambassador Colin Murdoch - Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) - Noemi Espinoza Madrid - Association of Caribbean States (ACS) - Christopher Corbin - Cartagena Convention Secretariat and Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP)
16:00 - 16:20
Living with Sargassum: Direct accounts from the field
- Testimony from Grenada by Ambassador Jerry Enoe - Testimony from Martinique  by Frédérick Voyer
16:20 - 17:20
Sargassum from sea to shore: Advancing Science for Solutions
Session chair: Audrey Hasson (GEO Blue Planet) - State of the Art Monitoring and Forecasting by Dr. Nikia Gooding - IMA, Trinidad and Tobago - Supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services by Cindy Fernández García - University of Costa Rica - Unlocking its value in the Blue Economy by John Auckland - Seafields Solutions Ltd - Impacting coastal zones  by Aurelie Rossignol - World Bank - Panel Discussion with session speakers
17:20 - 18:20
The synergies of cooperation for Sargassum: Building Bridges Through Science and Policy
Session chair: Charlotte Gully (Ademe) Panellists Introductions and Discussion : - Dr. Audrey Hasson - GEO Blue Planet - Gabrielle Larricq – French Governement - Ludovic Mollier - Collective Scientific Assessment of IRD - Jane Nurse – EC Global Gateway Grenada Task Force - Lucile Rossin - UNEP/SPAW-RAC
18:20 - 18:30
Final Notes
Dr. Audrey Hasson - GEO Blue Planet
18:30 - 22:00
Cocktail Dinner


 More about our event

This event is strategically positioned between a ministerial-level event focused on political coordination and a public engagement session in the Green Zone’s “France 3 Oceans Pavilion” (the Whale). 

10 June 2025 
12.15-13.30 - Blue Zone - Sargassum Crisis: Regional Cooperation and Response Towards New Opportunities 
15.00-18.30 followed by diner off-site - Mama Shelter Hotel - Turning the tide : advancing science, solutions and cooperation on the tropical Atlantic Sargassum situation

12 June 2025
17.15 - 18.00 - Green Zone / The Whale  - The Sargassum Crisis in the Caribbean: Understanding coastal impact and strengthening cooperation through local responses

Complementing the high-level political dialogue led by the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe Region, the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), and the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) this event will provide a platform for presenting innovative, science-based information that supports decision making to address the environmental, economic, and social impacts of Sargassum proliferation. 

This Green Zone event will then highlight the commitments of the overseas territories and provide a general public restitution of the two previous events. 

Together, these three events form a comprehensive response to the Sargassum challenge, promoting regional cooperation, scientific innovation, and inclusive engagement to turn a growing environmental crisis into a catalyst for sustainable development and resilience across the region.
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