The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched in 2021, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Many experts consider this timeline as “the most critical decade of our lifetime.
This period is seen as critical for several reasons: the worsening state of the ocean demands urgent action, scientific advancements are crucial for solutions, global collaboration can be more effective, and this might be the last chance to reverse significant damage. Over this period, the UN agency, the United Nations system and their partners are putting efforts to mobilize relevant actors around the world on a common framework that will put science at the service of countries in their implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 dedicated to the protection of the ocean.
It intends to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to harmonize their research, investments, and initiatives for this common challenge. In this vision, the Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme (ECOP Programme) wants to create a framework where young professionals can access meaningful networking and professional development opportunities with each other and with local and global institutions in the framework of the UN Ocean Decade. An ECOP is considered a person who self-identifies as being early in their career (10 years or less of professional experience) in any field related to the ocean (not only employed/ paid positions).
The vision of the ECOP Programme is to elevate and strengthen the diverse perspectives of new generations of ocean professionals through a collective voice, ensuring that knowledge is transferred between experienced and early-career ocean professionals to promote ocean sustainability.
ECOP Cameroon is an initiative to build a community of ECOPs in Cameroon who are passionate about ocean sustainability, with this network providing vital opportunities for ECOPs to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and advocate for ocean protection.
The network aims to address ocean challenges like marine pollution, overfishing, climate change impacts on the ocean, ocean acidification, and loss of coastal habitats. They plan to achieve this by recruiting passionate young scientists, providing training and capacity building, raising awareness through media and outreach programs, and fundraising to support projects supporting the resilience of the ocean. As a network newly endorsed in the framework of the UN Ocean Decade, ECOP Programme Cameroon node is excited to announce a call for applications to recognize outstanding Master’s and Bachelor’s theses related to the sustainability of the Ocean in Cameroon.
