The nexus of climate change, oceans, and security is becoming an increasingly urgent area for policy attention, as multiple multilateral processes currently shape the global ocean agenda. Key frameworks such as the UNFCCC, the BBNJ Agreement, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations (INC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and ocean-related SDG implementation are all evolving in parallel, creating both opportunities and challenges for integrating scientific evidence into decision-making.

Against this backdrop, Clima Trust and the Maritime Research Alliance are convening a gathering in Bonn, Germany, on 27–28 August 2026, to strengthen the science-policy interface on ocean-climate issues. The gathering will bring together policymakers, negotiators, researchers, academics, and other relevant actors to explore themes including climate change and maritime security, decarbonisation in the maritime sector, finance, technology, and innovation in the ocean-climate nexus, climate, biodiversity, and health in ocean-related processes, and the role of research and evidence in multilateral negotiations.

The international ocean governance landscape is evolving rapidly, with parallel negotiations and implementation processes under the UNFCCC, the BBNJ Agreement, and the Global Plastics Treaty creating unprecedented opportunities, and challenges, for integrating scientific evidence into multilateral decision-making. This gathering aims to strengthen dialogue between researchers and negotiators to ensure that emerging policy frameworks are informed by robust, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant evidence.