Our Ocean Conference

Our Ocean Conference
Name	Our Ocean Conference
Genre	International ocean conservation conference
Founded	2014
Founder	John Kerry
Location	Various (Rotterdam, Washington, D.C., Malta, Bali, Oslo, Palau, Panama, Palau, Athens)
Organiser	United States Department of State, Government of Malta, Government of Chile, Government of Indonesia, Government of Norway, Government of Palau, Government of Panama, Government of Greece
Frequency	Annual (since 2014)

Our Ocean Conference

The Our Ocean Conference is an annual international conference focused on ocean conservation, marine resource management, and maritime policy. It convenes heads of state, cabinet ministers, scientific institutions, philanthropic foundations, and private sector leaders to announce financial pledges, policy commitments, and partnerships aimed at addressing issues such as marine pollution, fisheries management, and marine protected areas. The meeting platform has been hosted by multiple governments and coalesces actors from the United Nations system, regional bodies, and major nongovernmental organizations.

Overview

The conference assembles officials from the United States Department of State, ministers from the Government of Malta, Government of Chile, Government of Indonesia, Government of Norway, Government of Palau, Government of Panama, Government of Greece and delegations from the European Commission, African Union Commission, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Islands Forum, and Caribbean Community. Scientific partners include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and research universities such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Philanthropic participants have included the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Oak Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and private corporations such as Google, Microsoft, IKEA, Bloomberg L.P., Walmart, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Maersk, Walmart, and Coca-Cola. Multilateral development banks present include the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and African Development Bank. Conservation NGOs active at the conference include World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Ocean Conservancy, Blue Planet Society, Wildlife Conservation Society, Greenpeace International, International Union for Conservation of Nature, BirdLife International, and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

History and editions

Launched in 2014 by John Kerry of the United States Department of State the conference has been hosted in cities including Washington, D.C., Valletta, Santiago, Chile, Bali, Oslo, Koror, Panama City, and Athens. Notable speakers and attendees across editions have included heads of state such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Jacinda Ardern, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson, Giorgia Meloni, Pedro Sánchez, António Costa, and José Manuel Barroso as well as ministers like Svenja Schulze, Kristin Skogen Lund, Anthony Blinken, Sigrid Kaag, and ambassadors from United Kingdom Foreign Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norway), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Scientific keynote contributors have included Sylvia Earle, Jane Lubchenco, Daniel Pauly, Carl Safina, and representatives from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and United Nations Environment Programme. The conference has evolved to include thematic side events featuring the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Maritime Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Themes and focus areas

Recurring themes include establishment and expansion of marine protected areas through commitments similar to Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Targets and aligned with aspirations of the 30 by 30 initiative championed by negotiators in the Convention on Biological Diversity process; reduction of plastic pollution as addressed by negotiators at the United Nations Environment Assembly and advocates such as Ellen MacArthur Foundation; sustainable fisheries governance linked to the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and regional fisheries management organizations like the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission; ocean acidification research tied to findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; blue carbon and nature-based solutions cited alongside work from International Union for Conservation of Nature and Blue Carbon Initiative; and maritime surveillance and illegal fishing enforcement priorities interoperating with Interpol, World Customs Organization, and the Global Fishing Watch partnership with Google. The agenda often integrates disaster resilience programs referenced by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and climate finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility.

Participants and partnerships

Participants encompass national delegations from Small Island Developing States, leaders from European Union institutions, ministers from Brazil, Australia, South Africa, India, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and representatives from regional entities including Pacific Community, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Economic Community of West African States, and Association of Caribbean States. Academic partners include California Institute of Technology affiliates and institutes such as Plymouth Marine Laboratory, National University of Singapore, University of Cape Town, University of British Columbia, and James Cook University. Corporate partners have included Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Apple Inc., Amazon (company), Cargill, ExxonMobil, and shipping consortia like International Chamber of Shipping. Financial partners have featured the KfW Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and sovereign donors including Kingdom of Norway, Government of Sweden, Government of Denmark, Government of Canada, and Government of Germany. Civil society pillars include Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Trust for Public Land, Rare (organization), Friends of the Earth International, and grassroots coalitions from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Fiji, and Samoa.

Outcomes and commitments

Outcomes frequently consist of monetary pledges to conservation funds, legal commitments to protect coastal and marine habitats, and partnerships to combat marine debris and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Major announced commitments have involved creation or expansion of large ocean reserves reminiscent of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument model and finance packages leveraging instruments from the World Bank and private philanthropy such as the Packard Foundation. Project announcements have included collaborations with Global Fishing Watch, scientific monitoring networks coordinated with Argo (oceanography), ocean mapping efforts akin to Seabed 2030, and habitat restoration programs influenced by practice at places like the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Chesapeake Bay Program. The conference has spurred bilateral and multilateral accords engaging the European Commission, United States Agency for International Development, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, and conservation trusts such as the Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Criticism and controversies

Critics from groups such as Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth International, Oceana, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and academic critics at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics argue that pledges announced at the conference sometimes lack binding mechanisms, transparent accounting, or adequate implementation pathways. Environmental economists and policy analysts from World Resources Institute, Stockholm Environment Institute, and International Institute for Environment and Development have documented gaps between headline commitments and delivered funding. Controversies have arisen when participation by corporations like Royal Dutch Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies has been viewed as greenwashing by campaigners, and when proposed marine protected areas were criticized by fishing communities represented by organizations such as World Forum of Fisher Peoples and unions linked to International Transport Workers' Federation. Legal scholars referencing instruments like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and negotiators from the Convention on Biological Diversity have debated the sufficiency of voluntary pledges versus treaty-based obligations.

Category:Marine conservation conferences