The UNOC side event coordinated by ECOCARE

Our UNOC side event, hosted by EcoCare at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, has been officially accepted.

We submitted the registration form a few days ago, and the location, time, and space are now confirmed:

Event Title:
Co-Creating Ocean Stories: Puppetry and Law in an Interdisciplinary Journey for SDG 14

Location:
NOW Studio, 15 Bd Lech Walesa, 06300 Nice, France

Date and Time:
8 June 2025, 14:00–17:00 CEST

The event is being organized in collaboration with the following partners: UiT Arctic University of Norway (ECOCARE), Earth Law Centre, Stop Ecocide International, Asfour Initiative, EcoSpectrum, Thalassophile Project, and Sounds of the Ocean.

Please find the event description below for reference:

This side event presents a creative and participatory approach to advancing ocean literacy and law as tools for achieving SDG 14. It emerges from the collective efforts of EcoCare, the Earth Law Centre, and the Ocean Incubator Network (OIN) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and is supported by grassroots initiatives including the Asfour Initiative, Stop Ecocide International, and the Thalassophile Project.

Under the leadership of Margherita Poto, and with the active collaboration of the team members of the Ocean Incubator Network, we developed a comprehensive toolkit inspired by the Ocean Decade Learning Toolkit (https://oceandecade.org/publications/the-ocean-incubator-network-learning-toolkit/), combining scientific research, educational methods, and community engagement to foster deeper awareness and responsibility for ocean protection.

The event explores ocean literacy as a transformative framework for legal and policy innovation. It brings together scholars, Indigenous leaders, children, elders, and local communities to co-create educational tools that translate legal knowledge into accessible formats. One of these tools, a live puppet performance, will engage participants in learning about the ocean and understanding the significance of marine stewardship.

The event will unfold as a creatively reimagined court proceeding, in three parts:

Puppet Performance: Curated by the Asfour Initiative and inspired by the European Court of Human Rights’ KlimaSeniorinnen ruling, this performance uses marine dolls to explore ocean personhood and environmental justice. It introduces the legal concept of “personhood” through a transgenerational and interdisciplinary lens, using the idea ofper sonam to highlight the plurality of voices and methods within legal systems, while drawing linkages to the indegnious teachings of mountain personhood as legal judges. An infographic is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18z5Mzqttqem4RW90GiIR2sjnbMTplGc6/view?usp=sharing
Group Work: Insights and reflections from invited experts will serve as prompts for participants to engage in smaller group discussions. These exchanges aim to inspire dialogue and collective reflection across disciplines and generations to deepen understanding and inspire ocean action, co-creation, and connectivity.
Co-Creation of a Judgment: Participants will collaboratively draft a final judgment to advise the marine dolls on their case. This judgment will be presented as a declaration for ocean protection and may contribute to future discussions and legal propositions on ocean personhood within academic and legal frameworks.

We will be documenting the event and taking photographs for sharing on our partners' platforms. Please let us know if there are any materials you would like featured at the event. Following a recent meeting with Lucy from Earth Law Centre, we agreed to display content from the Coral Reef Toolkit. If your organization would like to contribute additional materials (maybe from Ecocide?), please respond to this email with the material you would like featured.

The event website, which will be updated regularly with any changes, can be accessed here:
The UNOC Side Event organized by ECOCARE

Additionally, we have submitted an official ocean voluntary commitment titled: Ocean for All: Reimagining Justice with Love and Law.

Please note that the venue can accommodate a maximum of 22 participants, with only 12 able to remain afterward for a small, optional yoga session. If you are sharing the event with your network, kindly include the following form for anyone interested in attending the event and/or the yoga session:
https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/1RJWNV_JvZ1cfmQ9iclm4VPLQisQdIQ0Q3rQv8Y67org/viewform?edit_requested=true