Hilde Woker and Renate Reitsma appointed members of National Ocean Decade Committee
The National Ocean Decade Committee has appointed two new members from Leiden University. As members of this committee, Hilde Woker and Renate Reitsma will help promote the importance of ocean sciences.
In her position as Assistant Professor at Leiden Law School, Dr Hilde Woker will contribute to the committee alongside Renate Reitsma, PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The National Ocean Decade Committee [link in Dutch] for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a national interdisciplinary initiative. It was founded to help implement the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development announced by the United Nations.
An interdisciplinary network for ocean sciences
The committee comprises independent ocean experts from a number of disciplines, institutions, sectors and career stages. It aims to bring together ocean experts and stakeholders within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (including the Caribbean islands), connect national initiatives with the international UN Ocean Decade network and enhance awareness for the role and importance of ocean sciences. The committee was officially installed by Jaap Slootmaker, Director-General Water and Soil Affairs at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, on 5 June 2024, to mark World Oceans Day on 8 June.
Members from Leiden University
Two new members from Leiden University have been appointed to the committee:
- Renate Reitsma, PhD candidate at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), who is conducting research into deep-sea mining and how public-private partnerships are addressing the transition to a clean energy economy.
- Dr Hilde Woker, Assistant Professor in Public International Law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies. An expert in the area of law and the sea, her research focuses on the interface between law and sciences within the law of the sea.
For more information about the National Ocean Decade Committee, click here [link in Dutch].
Photo: Wereldoceaandagen.nl [link in Dutch]