The WCMB 2026 will fly the UN Ocean Decade flag, as it has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event. The overall theme of the Conference is “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want”. As the Conference will take place a little over halfway through the UN Ocean Decade, it will provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of ongoing actions and initiatives, but also evaluate what still needs to be tackled by the end of the Decade. 

WCMB 2026 is being organized by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ).

Practical information on the conference time line will follow later this year.