Expo’s Water Week kicked off yesterday, March 20, with a World Majlis dedicated to the oceans. “Deep Blue: The (Other) Final Frontier” was the topic of the panel discussion at Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion, held in collaboration with the Portugal Pavilion.

The session was attended by several experts and world leaders, including the Minister of the Sea of ​​Portugal, Ricardo Serrão Santos, who agreed we need a better understanding of deep sea marine ecologies before exploiting for in-demand minerals in relatively unknown parts of our oceans.

Participants also included Jamie Isbister, Ambassador for the Environment, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia; Jason Pratt, Senior Vice President – Group Health, Safety & Environment, DP World; and engineer, oceanographer and science diplomat Melania Guerra, PhD.

Ricardo Serrão Santos highlighted the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon (27 June – 1 July, 2022), which seeks to mobilise action and propel science-based innovations aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action.

Water Week, comprising a series of purposeful and action-orientated events to explore water in all its facets, is the last of 10 Theme Weeks that have taken place throughout the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, forming part of the Programme for People and Planet.