The panel titled “Setting the Stage for the Blue COP: Claiming This Moment of Convergence with a Call for an Antalya Ocean Compact”, organized by the Ocean Pavilion partners, was held on 10 November 2026 at 16:30 at the Ocean Pavilion.

The opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean Commissioner. The panel was moderated by Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Senior Advisor to the President and Advisor on Ocean and Climate Policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and Member of the COP31 International Organisations and Diplomacy Board. The panelists included Prof. Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), and Dean of the School of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences; Minna Epps, Global Ocean Policy Director at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Luana Cormac, Branch Head of Pacific Partnerships at the Australian Government; and Dr. Mustafa Başkara, CEO of the Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM).

The panel addressed the importance of bringing the climate, ocean, biodiversity, and sustainability agendas together within a common framework. In line with COP31’s vision of a “Blue COP”, discussions focused on strengthening international cooperation and reinforcing the role of the ocean in the global climate agenda, with particular reference to the call for an Antalya Ocean Compact.