Prof. Alan Deidun, resident academic within the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Sciences, was nominated by the Government of Malta as the island’s first Ambassador for Ocean Governance. This is yet another thematic ambassadorial post designated by Malta, following that dedicated to climate change currently held by Prof. Simone Borg. The chief motivation behind this post is the designation, by UNESCO, of the 2021-2030 period as the Decade for Ocean Sciences and also Malta’s commitment to achieving the objectives falling under SDG 14.
The Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals extending till the year 2030 drawn up by the United Nations, which also include a specific SDG (SDG14 – Life Under Water) dedicated exclusively to the marine environment. The overarching SDG 14 goal is that of conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Further information about the SDG 14 sub-objectives can be gleaned from: https://sdgcompass.org/sdgs/sdg-14/ . Prof. Deidun’s nomination also comes at a propitious juncture given that, 50 years since Arvid Pardo’s landmark speech at the UN’s General Assembly, the UN is locked in a delicate process of bringing the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) up to speed with issues related to BBNJ ((Biodiversity in areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or the High Seas).
The Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals extending till the year 2030 drawn up by the United Nations, which also include a specific SDG (SDG14 – Life Under Water) dedicated exclusively to the marine environment. The overarching SDG 14 goal is that of conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Further information about the SDG 14 sub-objectives can be gleaned from: https://sdgcompass.org/sdgs/sdg-14/ . Prof. Deidun’s nomination also comes at a propitious juncture given that, 50 years since Arvid Pardo’s landmark speech at the UN’s General Assembly, the UN is locked in a delicate process of bringing the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) up to speed with issues related to BBNJ ((Biodiversity in areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or the High Seas).
Prof. Deidun is intrinsically associated with the thematic of ocean governance, given that he is the Director of the IOI (International Ocean Institute) Training Centre, which offers an annual 5-week modular training course on regional ocean governance carrying a maximum of 15 ECTS. He was also convener of the EMSEA (European Marine Science Educators Association) 17 conference held in Malta in October 2017 through his involvement in ocean literacy.
Prof. Deidun is putting the Ocean Ambassador post at the disposition of any University academic interested in the disciplines of ocean governance and ocean literacy, having recently held an exploratory meeting with the University’s Maritime Platform with this scope in mind.