On 13-15 May 2019, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO will convene the 1st Global Planning Meeting in preparation for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The meeting will take place in Copenhaguen, Denmark, hosted by the National Museum of Denmark.

The Global Planning Meeting will provide a forum to gather approximately 200 thought-leaders/champions/key stakeholders. A mixture of plenary and break-out groups will facilitate international, interdisciplinary discussions across sectors (such as: ocean science and technology; ocean policy and sustainable development; business and industry; NGOs and civil society; donors and foundations) to identify concrete deliverables and partnerships to meet the Decade's six societal objectives:

• A safe Ocean
• A Sustainable and Productive Ocean
• A Transparent and Accessible Ocean
• A Clean Ocean
• A Healthy and Resilient Ocean
• A Predicted Ocean

The Global Planning Meeting offers a crucial opportunity to co-design mission-oriented research strategies in line with the 2030 Agenda, taking advantage of cross-cutting issues such as transforming knowledge systems; accelerating transfer of technology; enabling training and education; and fostering science-policy dialogues.

The Global Planning Meeting will aim to identify:

• Knowledge gaps and ocean science priorities for the 2030 Agenda
• Existing relevant partnerships/networks/initiatives and gaps
• Priorities in capacity-development/training
• Priority topics and themes
• Potential partners
• Links to other initiatives such as regional workshops and meetings

The meeting will initiate a global dialogue that will be continued throughout 2019 and 2020 via regional Decade workshops, conference side-events, and further thematic workshops, to inform the planning of the Decade.