More than 100 young people from Greece and all over the world who deal with the blue economy, the environment, and innovation, will have the opportunity to participate in the 7th “Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit”, which will take place at the Lighthouse of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), on Monday, April 15, 2024.

It will be preceded on Sunday (14/4) by a beach cleaning campaign by the young delegates. It is noted that the above initiatives are carried out in the frame of the 9th “Our Ocean Conference” (OOC), hosted by Greece (16-17/4), also at the SNFCC.

The 7th “OOC- Youth Leadership Summit” will be inaugurated by Mr Theodoros Skylakakis, Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece, Dr Dionysia - Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Chairperson of the Environment Protection Committee of the Hellenic Parliament and Coordinator of the Our Ocean Conference, Ms. Jennifer R. Littlejohn, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, US State Department, Mrs Semiramis Paliou, Chairperson of HELMEPA and INTERMEPA, Mr George Procopiou, Chairman of the Yacht Club of Greece and Mr Brandon Levy, Chief Program Officer of Sustainable Ocean Alliance.

The “OOC - Youth Leadership Summit” enables young people to creatively contribute to the public debate on ocean protection, at a global level. Moreover, distinguished personalities from academia, the private sector, politics, and civil society will take part in their discussions to support their initiatives.

Responding to the need for educational and employment opportunities towards the transition to a smart, sustainable, and inclusive blue economy, the 7th Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit highlights the need for interdisciplinary and modern educational programs, as well as the importance of upskilling and reskilling. During the Summit a pitch of innovative proposals that tackle major ocean issues will take place.

The Summit is supported by the International Organization Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), HELMEPA (Blue Horizons partnership with the Yacht Club of Greece), Mr. George Prokopiou, Chairman of the Yacht Club of Greece and “The Sasakawa Peace Foundation”, curated by OOC-9 Coordinator, Dr. Dionysia - Theodora Avgerinopoulou. The Greek Voluntary Youth Group of the 7th YLS contributed significantly to the implementation of the program.

You can find the agenda of the “Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit” here.