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| World Ocean Summit | |
|---|---|
| Name | World Ocean Summit |
| Established | 2012 |
| Location | Varied (primarily San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Paris, London) |
| Founder | The Economist Group |
World Ocean Summit The World Ocean Summit is a recurring international conference convened by The Economist Group focusing on ocean policy, sustainable fisheries, maritime finance, marine biodiversity, and blue economy innovation. It gathers leaders from nations such as United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Australia alongside representatives from multilateral institutions like the United Nations and the World Bank. The summit serves as a platform for cross-sector dialogue among stakeholders including philanthropic foundations such as the Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Packard Foundation, private sector actors like Maersk and Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and civil society groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.
The summit convenes ministers from countries including Canada, Norway, Indonesia, and Chile with corporate executives from Royal Dutch Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, and shipping conglomerates such as Cosco and Hapag-Lloyd. Scientific expertise is provided by institutions like the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Financial stakeholders include the International Monetary Fund, European Investment Bank, and private investors such as BlackRock and Goldman Sachs. The agenda typically addresses transnational instruments like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, regional bodies such as the European Union and the African Union, and conservation frameworks like the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Launched in 2012, the summit emerged amid growing international focus following events involving entities like the Deepwater Horizon spill and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations General Assembly. Early editions featured collaborations with governments including Brazil and South Africa and engagement by research centers such as the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Over successive years the summit expanded geographically with sessions in Beijing, Singapore, Lisbon, and Glasgow, attracting policy initiatives linked to conferences such as the UN Ocean Conference and climate platforms including the Conference of the Parties. Partnerships evolved to include philanthropic coalitions like the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance and industry coalitions such as the SeaBOS initiative.
Core objectives include scaling sustainable finance instruments championed by Blue Bonds advocates, accelerating marine protected area pledges similar to initiatives promoted by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and improving fisheries governance in forums like the Regional Fisheries Management Organization negotiations. Thematic tracks often reference legal regimes like UNCLOS and conservation targets under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Sessions explore innovations led by entities such as The Nature Conservancy, novel insurance products promoted by Munich Re, and blue carbon accounting advanced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Other themes involve supply-chain transparency with standards from Marine Stewardship Council and traceability pilots involving Alibaba or Walmart.
Organized by The Economist Group with editorial and convening support from allies including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Oceana, and the World Economic Forum on select panels, the summit works with national ministries such as the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the United States Department of State. Research partners have included the Pew Research Center and the Stockholm Environment Institute, while implementation partners have ranged from conservation NGOs like Conservation International to shipping registries such as the International Maritime Organization. Financial sponsors have included sovereign wealth funds, private banks, and corporations like IKEA and Unilever for market-facing sessions.
The summit generated policy momentum for proposals linked to high-profile efforts such as the creation of new marine protected areas championed by Palau and Kiribati, financing pilots inspired by the Seychelles blue bond, and commitments to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing referenced in Port State Measures Agreement discussions. Outcomes include multi-stakeholder consortia with partners like The Nature Conservancy and Blue Finance, private-sector pledges from companies such as Cargill and Thai Union, and research collaborations with universities including University of Oxford and Stanford University. It has catalyzed dialogues on ocean-climate linkages highlighted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and contributed to investor guidelines echoing the Principles for Responsible Investment.
Speakers have encompassed heads of state and government representatives such as former leaders from United Kingdom and France, cabinet ministers from New Zealand and Iceland, and CEOs of corporations including TotalEnergies and General Electric. Thought leaders from the scientific community have included directors from NOAA and the Smithsonian Institution, while philanthropic voices have featured leaders from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Ford Foundation. Environmental advocates present at sessions have included activists associated with Oceana and Surfrider Foundation, and indigenous ocean stewards from archipelagic states like Fiji and Tonga.
Critics have argued that the summit's proximity to corporate sponsors such as Shell and ExxonMobil can create conflicts of interest echoing disputes seen in debates over fossil fuel industry influence at climate fora like the UNFCCC COP. Environmental NGOs including Friends of the Earth and 350.org have raised concerns about greenwashing, pointing to contested projects backed by private finance similar to controversies around blue carbon offsets and market mechanisms debated in the Convention on Biological Diversity process. Some indigenous organizations and small-island delegations have criticized insufficient representation compared with delegations from multinational corporations and global banks such as the World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank.
Category:Conferences