Labeled as an event of the G7 French Presidency, the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI), together with the French Ocean Observing System (Fr-OOS), co-hosted a high-level international workshop covering the resilience and evolution of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) at the CNRS headquarters in Paris from 17-18 September 2026.
This invitation-only workshop convened over 90 international experts and government representatives from G7 countries and the EU, GOOS and other United Nations bodies, and leading scientific institutions.
Together, the workshop discussed:
- the current risk landscape affecting GOOS
- concrete actions that G7 members and partners can undertake to mitigate these risks; and
- strategic guidance to GOOS on priorities and information needs to support future investments and coordination.
The meeting opened with high-level remarks from Catherine Chabaud, Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fisheries in France, Delilah Al-Khudhairy, Director for Maritime Policy and Blue Economy in the European Commission, Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Pierre Bahurel, CEO of Mercator Ocean International, François Houllier, President and CEO of Ifremer, and Cyrille Flamant, Deputy Scientific Director at CNRS Earth and Space.
Presentations were provided on the state of play of coordination structures and impacts of ocean observations, the GOOS Essential Ocean Variables and networks, as well as the contributions of G7 nations. Non-G7 members (China, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, India) and the Partnership on Global Observations (POGO) also contributed their perspectives. Discussions on the second day focused on synthesizing the main risks and gaps to both GOOS as a coordination framework and the global ocean observing system more broadly, as well as invited inputs on solutions, options, and approaches to a prioritization framework.
This year, the G7 FSOI priority topic “Governance, Coordination, and Sustained Funding of the Observing System” is a key area of focus for the French Presidency of the G7 FSOI. As co-leads of this priority topic, France, along with the U.S., EU, and Itay, organized this workshop as part of the priority topic’s overarching goal to have increased and formalized interactions between the global governance mechanism of GOOS and the national coordination structures that fund and implement the observing system.
The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), led by the IOC of UNESCO, provides leadership and coordination for a global system of sustained ocean observations. It is vital for climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, ocean health, sustainable development, and economic stability.
