The mission of the Early Career Ocean Professionals Group (ECOP) is to contribute to new ways of thinking that address global challenges related to ocean sustainability and stewardship. We'll do this by ensuring that ECOPs have opportunities to learn and develop to reach their full potential. Underlying this effort is the goal of the ECOP group to provide meaningful opportunities for ECOPs from around the world to engage with each other and with local to global institutions underneath the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.