Atlantic Cooperation

All-Atlantic Ocean Research
AND INNOVATION Alliance

The All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) is the result of science diplomacy efforts involving countries from both sides of the Atlantic. It builds on the success of two existing co-operation agreements - the  Galway Declaration on Co-operation in the Atlantic Ocean which was signed by the EU, the USA and Canada in 2013, and the  Belem Declaration on co-operation in research and innovation in the Atlantic Ocean which was signed by the EU, Brazil and South Africa in 2017, as well as several other bilateral and multilateral agreements. AAORIA aims to improve cooperation in marine research and innovation along and across the Atlantic. In 2022, the " All-Atlantic Declaration " to further strengthen cooperation between the partners. In the declaration, the AAORIA partners agreed on two priority areas of work:

• Coastal resilience: Improve our understanding of the relationship between the ocean and climate and develop outcome-based science to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, particularly to increase the resilience of coastal communities.
• Ocean observation: Coordinate observation of the Atlantic Ocean and improve modelling capacity, including in support of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

The OKEANO project has been funded by the EU since September 2024 to support and coordinate the alliance. In this project, KDM has the mandate to implement Priority 1: Coastal Resilience. In 2024, three Atlantic-wide workshops were organised with a total of almost 200 participants. Prof Dr Martin Zimmer | ZMT Bremen has the scientific lead. Dr Sophie Roy is the contact person for KDM.