Patricia Ricard is actively committed to stepping up the Institute’s presence on the global stage. As spokesperson for the Ocean & Climate Platform, she is a speaker at international conferences such as the United Nations’ Ocean Conference in June 2017 and the COPs of climate conventions. Her goal is to remind audiences that “oceans must be at the heart of member states’ decisions” and that we all have “the capacity to mitigate climate change”.
The Ocean & Climate Platform is an alliance of civil society and research stakeholders committed to ensuring that oceans are included in climate change solutions. It was launched by UNESCO with NGOs and research organisations like the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute. Its role is to place oceans at the heart of the debate, just as they play a major role in balancing our global climate. The Paris Agreement that the COP21 adopted in Paris in 2015 marks a new global awareness of this reality and is a symbolic victory for the Ocean & Climate Platform’s members, who worked tirelessly towards this result.
MAIN EVENTS IN 2022
9 to 11 February 2022: One Ocean Summit (Brest, France)
The aim of this international summit dedicated to the Ocean was to mobilise the international maritime community and to encourage it to undertake real commitments. Patricia Ricard was among the ambassadors for the event. She was a speaker concluding a workshop dedicated to the sea as nursery, and she was rapporteur for this workshop to the heads of state during the high level segment on 11 February.
7 to 8 February 2022: Forum des Mondes Méditerranéens (Marseille, France)
A follow-up to the Two Shores Summit, this forum was attended by some 500 participants from all around the Mediterranean with the aim of developing practicable solutions to meet the common challenges to come. Patricia Ricard was a speaker at the opening of the Pilier Environnement and took part in the Emerging Mediterranean plenary session entitled ‘From Greentech to e-santé, how can Mediterranean Change Makers deploy new technologies to help meet the SDGs ?’
MAIN EVENTS IN 2021
3 to 11 September 2021: IUCN World Conservation Congress (Marseille, France)
Patricia Ricard and the researchers from the Institute mainly contributed on the topic of nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
MAIN EVENTS IN 2020
29 to 30 October 2020: World Impact Summit (Paris, France)
International summit on solutions for the planet. Patricia Ricard spoke on the theme of the Ocean, a key factor in the battle against climate warming.
30 January to 1 February 2020: Change Now Summit (Paris, France)
This event in Paris brought together the proposers of a thousand solutions for the planet, from 120 countries. Patricia Ricard took part in the round table: “The Ocean, the planet’s lungs”.
MAIN EVENTS IN 2019
August 20th to 23rd 2019 : G7 Pre-summit – Pavillon Océan of the Surfrider Foundation Europe (Biarritz, France)
The Ocean and Climate Platform took part in the Pavillon Océan organised by the Surfrider Foundation Europe, ahead of the G7 Summit. The aim was to make sure the preservation of the ocean was included in the negotiations. Patricia Ricard, Vice-President of the Ocean and Climate Platform, and Loreley Picourt, Head of Advocacy and International Relations, took part in the round table dedicated to ‘The Ocean, source of innovation’. These four days of discussions provided the opportunity to draw up the ‘Ocean Call’, an appeal to deciders co-signed by more than 50 organisations, and submitted to President Emmanuel Macron on 24th August.
June 23rd and 24th 2019 : Summit of the Two Shores (Marseille, France)
The Summit in Marseille brought together representatives of civil society from countries around the Mediterranean (France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron. At the conclusion of the Summit, ‘Commitments for a new ambition in the Mediterranean’ were signed. Patricia Ricard led the French delegation.
March 14th 2019 : One Planet Summit (Nairobi, Kenya)
Faced with the climate crisis, the One Planet coalition called for effective action. Public and private sector actors, members of the general public and leading deciders, they are working together to take action for a common purpose: to speed up the worldwide transition to a low-carbon economy. Patricia Ricard took part in the discussions.
February 19th 2019: Blue Belt Initiative (Agadir, Morocco)
Patricia Ricard took part in the prestigious conference on the Blue Belt Initiative, focused on the development of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa. This event was attended by around twenty ministers of fisheries and marine resources, and highlighted the importance of cooperation for the development of a Blue Economy.
MAIN EVENTS IN 2018
November 26th – 28th 2018: Sustainable Blue Economy Conference (Nairobi, Kenya)
Patricia Ricard addressed one of the Business & Private Sector Forums at the Blue Economy Conference 2018. She spoke about how nature and science-based solutions can help us adapt to climate change, how to shift from corporate social responsibility to research and development of new, innovative industrial processes for a blue economy, and how to assist decision-makers, for example via the Ocean & Climate Platform.
September 10th – 11th 2018: Scientific Conference at UNESCO (Paris, France)
Co-hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the Ocean & Climate Platform, this event discussed recent scientific progress in the field of ocean-climate interactions and the links between science and policy.
June 8th 2018: Appeal for the Ocean, common good of humanity (Monaco) – On World Oceans Day, Patricia Ricard participated in launching the appeal initiated by Catherine Chabaud, Françoise Gaill and others, declaring that, “We, signatories to this Appeal, consider that the entirety of the Ocean is under threat and vigorously demand that all marine spaces, from the coasts to the High Seas, be considered as a Common Good of Humanity.”
March 15th – 20th 2018: Crans Montana Forum (Dakhla, Morocco)
A week-long forum on “Africa and South-South Cooperation”, with over 1000 delegates including Heads of State and Government, ministers, heads of international and regional organisations, financial institutions, employer organisations and professional associations.
March 7th – 9th 2018: World Ocean Summit (Cancun, Mexico)
Organised by The Economist, this year’s World Ocean Summit brought together over 360 leaders from governments, corporations, international organisations, NGOs and universities. The goal of the sixth summit was to propose viable solutions for a balance between growth and a sustainable blue economy.