From 11 to 17 March, a delegation from the World Maritime University – Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) team, including Dr Aspasia Pastra, hosted and contributed to a series of ocean literacy and capacity development activities in Tokyo, Japan. This was in connection to the invitation by The Economist Impact and Head of business development Tatiana Der Avedissian to be an official partner of the 12th Annual World Ocean Summit and Expo held in Tokyo 12-13 March.
Throughout the summit, the WMU-GOI’s booth in the expo hall served as a hub for engagement featuring interactive networking sessions, presentations, and discussions around WMU’s academic programmes, key research initiatives, and ocean outreach efforts. These exchanges raised awareness about the work of WMU and sparked discussions that will influence concrete initiatives for future development.
Environmental outreach remained central to the visit with a Beach Clean-up organized on 15 March at Kasai Marine Park. Co-organized with the WMU Japanese Fellows’ Alumni Association, and supported by the Friends of WMU Japan, the event brought together WMU alumni together with representatives of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, The Nippon Foundation and the Thalassa Foundation, represented by its Vice-President, Vera Alexandropoulou. The group collected 20 bags of garbage, complementing the Summit’s focus on advancing a sustainable ocean economy.