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A broad coalition of local organizations in Senegal is calling on the new government to take decisive action to improve conditions for its people. A silent march demanded a national effort to help young people remain in the country and build a better future. Mundus maris expresses its solidarity with the affected families in Senegal and beyond. It supports the coalition’s call for deeper government, professional, and civil society engagement to stop the exodus and invest in human capital, institutions, and decent working conditions.

In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly decided to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding international treaty to address plastic pollution throughout its lifecycle, from production to disposal. This treaty, expected to be the most ambitious to date, could be finalised between 2024 and 2025, and would regulate plastic use in a similar way to climate change agreements. It is currently in a particularly critical phase of the international negotiations where proposals to drastically reduce plastic use and replace fossil fuel feed stock by biodegradable raw materials meet with resistance from countries and lobbies wedded to gas and oil.

The annual FishBase-SeaLifeBase Symposium is the occasion to showcase advances in biodiversity research and use of the global information systems to promote recovery and sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources and their ecosystems. This year's symposium was convened by the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 2 and 3 September 2024. Day one was focused on new findings in conjunction with the Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory (GOLT), day two gave room to a broader cross section of biodiversity related topics with a focus on the Mediterranean.

The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) is scheduled for June 2025 in Nice, France. Costa Rica and France are the co-organisers. UNOC3 is to rally more political, financial, technical and societal engagement in support of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (SDG 14). An extensive preparatory process is ongoing with conferences e.g. in Costa Rica in June and at the UN in New York in July 2024. Ten themes have been identified to shape the programme in Nice. They are at the centre of so-called Ocean Action Panels. Mundus maris has responded in the public consultation to underpin three of them.

Fish Party and Mundus maris have several years of cooperation under their belt in the effort to address the challenges to people active in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the resources accessed in Nigeria or brought in from outside to meet the needs of a still fast growing population. Beyond identifying the challenges, they focus on what can be done to identify and promote solutions for people and planet, in ways that are inclusive for women and youths. The latest joint event was a webinar on 20 July 2024.

Upon invitation of the organising committee at the FAO, Cornelia E Nauen of Mundus maris attended the second SSF Summit taking place in the premises of FAO from 5 to 7 July 2024. The first day was exclusively reserved for members of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) Working Group on Fisheries with a thematic focus on customary tenure rights for small-scale and indigenous fisheries. During the weekend, with some 300 participants admitted, the emphasis shifted towards sharing recent experiences and regional group discussions focused on translating these experiences into next steps of implementation to be carried for the ensuing meeting of the Committee of Fisheries (COFI36).

As part of the preparations for the next global small-scale fisheries congress, regional gatherings are convened by the research platform 'Too Big To Ignore' (TBTI) and its partners under the suggestive title 'Bright spots - Hope spots'. The one for Europe gathered a small group of researchers and fishers near Larnaca, Cyprus, from 1 to 3 July 2024. Katia Frangoudes based at IUEM/UBO, Brest, France was the principal host not sparing any effort to make the meeting professionally productive in the lovely atmosphere created by traditional Cypriot hospitality.

The emergency closure of the Baltic cod fishery in 2019 was the sad low point of mismanagement of Baltic fisheries. The Low Impact Fishers Europe (LIFE) apex organisation of small-scale, coastal fishers had invited managers, NGOs and other interested parties to a consultation to explore how to stop the desastrous downward spiral. Since 2019 things have not improved. On the contrary. The collapse of cod in the Western Baltic has also been followed by that of herring and sprat as major food of cod. The flatfishes are still there but can not replace either the ecological function or the economic role of the collapsed species in the ecosystem. Marta Cavallé, Executive Director of LIFE, flanked by Brian O'Riordan, her predecessor, opened the meeting and welcomed all participants.

This year again, the environment festival in Brussels offered a good opportunity to carry the message of World Ocean Day. On 2 June 2024, in the spacious Tour & Taxis park in Brussels, in what was once the largest railway station for goods in Europe, families and visitors from the vicinity in Schaerbeek and whereabouts flocked to the activity tents and food stalls, never in risk of overcrowding. Mundus maris welcomed visitors in Tent no.17 throughout the day.

Demonstrations in more than 100 towns and cities in Germany and all over Europe were called by Fridays for Future to mobilise citizens across the region for more decisive climate action and for turning out on 9 June by voting for democratic parties and against the right wing extremists threatening climate action and citizen rights. Mundus maris participated in the march in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Entirely organised by citizen volunteers with the support of businesses or organisations acting on a voluntary basis, the H.O.M.E event at the Tour & Taxis maritime station welcomed families and other visitors the weekend of May 25 and 26, 2024. H.O.M.E. stands for House Of Mother Earth and is an initiative of the non-profit Climattitude. Our friends of COREN and Mundus maris asbl were invited to provide animation for the 'kitchen', one of the many rooms of the home in the spacious and well restored Gare maritime. What better to propose than protecting baby fish to let them grow and reproduce for healthy food for ever!