In October 2024, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM – held every two years in a different member state on a rotating basis) was held in Samoa – the first such meeting to be held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State.
Under the theme ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’, all 56 Commonwealth member states endorsed the Apia Commonwealth Oceans Declaration (ACOD). One of the largest ever political commitments to ocean action, it calls for bold steps to conserve marine biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, reduce marine pollution and support a sustainable blue economy.
The ACU Oceans Expert Group has been convened to support the implementation of the ACOD, led by the Commonwealth Secretariat and ten Blue Charter Action Groups - a collaborative of member states led by ‘Champion’ countries to address specific ocean-related issues.
Objectives
The inaugural ACU Oceans Expert Group will support a technical project on Mangrove Ecosystems, developed in partnership with the Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods Action Group (MELAG) led by Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago.
Role
Membership of Expert Groups is open to academic and professional staff working in policy and research relevant roles at ACU member universities. They are time limited and convened to:
- Advise on policy delivery: Provide technical input on ministerial programmes and help shape related outputs like policy briefs and toolkits
- Shape and assess ACU Expert Group grants: Open to all ACU members, the grants will fund university-led projects in thematically aligned areas
- Shape the ACU’s policy work: Input into practical activities, research, and partnerships that support wider policy engagement
- Enable knowledge exchange: Share evidence and good practice to broker collaboration and research ideation across ACU members
- Support coordinated action: Partner with other accredited organisations to align policy, research, and advocacy efforts across the Commonwealth
Benefits
- Drive collaboration: ACU Expert Groups offer new opportunities for ACU members to co-design and deliver policy-relevant initiatives across key policy areas.
- Showcase impact: They also highlight how ACU members - through their teaching, research, programmes and partnerships - are already working with governments and civil society to address pressing policy challenges.
If you are an academic or professional staff at an ACU member university working in the thematic areas above and are keen to learn more about the ACU’s new Expert Groups, please contact us.
Meet the Expert Group
Dr Branson Belle
Executive Director, Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy, University of the West Indies, Antigua and Barbuda
Professor Sian Davies-Vollum
Professor of Environmental Geoscience, University of Northampton, UK
Rena Filippou
Assistant Scientist, Centre for Ocean Governance and International Cooperation of Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI)
Dr Maria Hadjimichael
Senior Associate Scientist, Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI)
Professor Edem Mahu
Associate Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Ghana
Dr Mwita Marwa Mangora
Senior Lecturer and Director, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Professor Philip McGowan
Professor of Conservation Science and Policy, Newcastle University, UK
Professor Muneeb Musthafa
Professor, Department of Biosystems Technology, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka
Professor Bijoy Nandan
Dean, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science & Technology, India
