Helena Vieira, holder of the ERA CHAIR BESIDE and a CESAM/DAO researcher, joined the international team responsible for drafting the United Nations’ 3rd World Ocean Assessment, serving as an expert and member of the writing team, with contributions across three areas: Socio-ecological systems; A sustainable and inclusive ocean economy; and Use of genetic resources and biotechnology.
Helena Vieira’s contribution falls within one of the report’s most strategic components: charting pathways towards a genuinely sustainable and inclusive blue economy, grounded in the responsible use of marine genetic resources and in the development of biotechnology as a driver of innovation, health and value creation, without compromising the integrity of ocean ecosystems.
Comprising 60 chapters and produced under the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment (a UN mechanism launched in 2002), the World Ocean Assessment III (WOA III) brings together the most recent scientific knowledge on governance, human pressures, ongoing change, and the “One Health” approach, which links ocean health to human health, wellbeing, gender equality, equity and the participation of indigenous and local communities.
The process involved 580 experts (284 of them women) from 86 countries. The participation of Portuguese researchers — from universities including Aveiro, Algarve, Azores, Évora, Lisbon and Nova de Lisboa, and from associate laboratories such as CESAM and ARNET – Aquatic Research Network, confirms the strength and international standing of Portuguese marine science.
By joining the team that drafted the chapters on the inclusive ocean economy and marine biotechnology, Helena Vieira reinforces the role of CESAM and the University of Aveiro in producing knowledge that underpins global policy decisions on ocean conservation, health and sustainable management.
The report was presented on 8 June, World Ocean Day, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, and has now been officially published on the UN’s website. Approved by 190 countries at the end of December 2025 by the General Assembly (A/80/L.22), it stands as the only integrated assessment of the state of the world’s ocean based on the three pillars of sustainable development.
The full report is available on the digital platform (https://woa.un.org), and the Executive Summary (A/80/489) constitutes an official document of the United Nations General Assembly.
News in UA Online, 21 July 2026