From 8 to 18 June 8–18, 2026, DOSI joined the world’s climate negotiators as they gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the 64th Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 64) under the UNFCCC, the mid-year technical meeting that lays the groundwork for the upcoming COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Alongside the concurrent sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), delegates worked to build on the outcomes of COP30 in Belém and turn negotiation drafts into decisions ready for political sign-off later this year.
Why the deep ocean belongs in climate talks
Climate negotiations have historically centred on land-based solutions, but the ocean, and particularly the deep ocean, plays an invaluable role in regulating the earth’s climate. The deep ocean is one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks, and as it faces growing pressures from emerging industries like deep-sea mining, this and other ecosystem services it provides may be compromised. DOSI’s mission is to bring rigorous science-based knowledge into climate negotiations, ensuring that ocean-based climate regulation activities and precautionary governance are treated as integral parts of climate action.
The DOSI delegation in Bonn
DOSI was proud to be represented at the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue during SBSTA 64 by Sonigitu Ekpe and Climate Change Working Group co-leads, Natalya Gallo and Lisa Levin. The Dialogue, held on 10–11 June, drew a strong and diverse turnout, with Parties and observers engaging actively in discussions about the ocean’s role in climate regulation.
Natalya Gallo delivered a formal intervention on behalf of the RINGO constituency, emphasising the importance of sustained ocean observing systems and transdisciplinary research. The intervention was warmly received and echoed by multiple delegations, a strong signal of growing appetite for science-policy collaboration.
Sonigitu Ekpe underscored the need for precautionary governance and coherence across international frameworks, making the case that the deep ocean must remain central to climate negotiations.
Beyond the formal sessions, the DOSI delegation was active across the full breadth of the conference: participating in networking sessions with Party delegates and NGOs, building alliances around deep-ocean concerns and precautionary approaches to deep-sea mining, attending offsite ocean-focused satellite events hosted by partner organisations, and contributing to media briefings and joint statements with fellow observer groups.
The broader picture at SB 64
The wider SB 64 meeting made technical progress on several fronts: delegates advanced work to operationalise the Just Transition Work Programme, launched the Action for Climate Empowerment framework, and held mandated dialogues linking climate change with trade and Indigenous governance transparency. However, divisions remain over how to allocate and access the $1.3 trillion climate finance goal, a political deadlock that will need to be resolved at COP31.
Against that backdrop, DOSI’s message was clear; the ocean is firmly on the UNFCCC agenda, and growing recognition of the deep ocean’s role, both in carbon sequestration and its vulnerability to pressures like deep-sea mining, is a sign of real progress.
Looking ahead
SBSTA 64 confirmed that DOSI’s voice matters in these negotiations, and it also pointed to where it can grow. DOSI’s presence at SBSTA 64 proved once again that the deep ocean must be included in the climate conversation.
The feedback DOSI received confirms that science-based interventions are valued and that the precautionary stance resonates with delegations across the negotiating floor. DOSI is committed to building on this momentum, turning acknowledgement into formal integration, as we look toward COP31 in Antalya.
DOSI will continue to champion science-based stewardship of the deep ocean as an essential pillar of global climate action.