A surge of ocean leadership: Friends of Ocean Action outline roadmap ahead of the Third UN Ocean Conference
- Friends of Ocean Action welcome nine new members to the 2024 cohort, bringing its total membership to 86 since launching in 2018.
- Hosted by the World Economic Forum, Friends of Ocean Action is a multi-stakeholder community of ocean leaders pioneering solutions to the most pressing challenges related to the ocean.
- The group convened in New York to focus on developing synergies across diverse ocean topics and accelerating action to bring it all together for the ocean ahead of the Third UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
New York, 23 September 2024 – Nine new members have been announced as joining the Friends of Ocean Action – a community of ocean leaders fast-tracking solutions to some of the most pressing challenges related to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water.
Led by co-chairs Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, and Isabella Lövin, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Member of the European Parliament, Friends of Ocean Action has created platforms and helped launch global initiatives advancing ocean action, ranging from the Global Plastic Action Partnership and Global Tuna Alliance, to the Getting to Zero Coalition and Blue Food Partnership.
“Our ocean action work has become more vital than ever. This next year, and following 2030, we must put the future first by multiplying our efforts to ensure a healthy and resilient ocean. To do so, we must control greenhouse gas emissions, stop plastic and chemical pollution, cease harmful fisheries practices, and protect marine biodiversity. The Friends of Ocean Action are uniquely placed to advance this action. Over the next eight months we have some strategic opportunities to mobilize unprecedented ocean action. It's time to bring it all together for the ocean,” said Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, and co-chair of Friends of Ocean Action.
Friends of Ocean Action is delighted to welcome the following global ocean leaders as new members of its community that now comprises 86 members from business, civil society, academia and the public sector representing 41 countries
- HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Founder, WAVE, Saudi Arabia. HRH is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, a champion for the advancement of women’s rights and the founder of WAVE, an initiative focused on ocean regeneration.
- Rym Benzina, Chairwoman of La Saison Bleue, Forum Mondial de la Mer Bizerte and Blue Africa Summit Tangier, Tunisia. Rym is a marketing professional whose passion for the ocean led her to co-found La Saison Bleue supporting sustainable development of the Tunisian coastline, and launch the Blue Africa Summit shaping a regenerative future.
- Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Norway Vidar is a politician and ocean champion having served as Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway and Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation. As Norway’s Special Representative for the Ocean, he initiated and led the work of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and now heads the IOC-UNESCO.
- Cristina "Mitty" Mittermeier, Co-Founder, SeaLegacy, Mexico. Mitty is a photographer, marine biologist, and avid conservationist, who pushes for environmental advocacy through SeaLegacy, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a healthy ocean through storytelling and visual media.
- Serge Raemakers, Chief Executive Officer, ABALOBI, South Africa. Serge is a social entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in fisheries science, dedicated to sustainable development and the self-empowerment of fisher communities.
- Maria Helena Semedo, Former Deputy Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization, Cabo Verde. Maria Helena is an economist, a politician and a leading expert in global development issues. Under her stewardship, FAO helped shape a new global narrative where agriculture is prominently recognized as a solution in addressing increasingly complex emerging issues – from transforming food systems to dealing with climate change.
- Ana Spalding, Centre Director, Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, Smithsonian, Panama. Dr. Spalding holds extensive expertise in marine policy, conservation, and socio-environmental outcomes, focusing on locally-led conservation and equitable ocean governance.
- Kathlyn Tan, Director of Philanthropy, Rumah Group, Singapore. Kathlyn leads ocean-climate philanthropy, impact investment activities, and strategic grant-making. She also holds multiple advisory and board roles, including positions at Conservation International Singapore, The Good Food Institute and MIT Solve.
- Martha Rojas Urrego, Executive Secretary, International Whaling Commission, Colombia. Martha is an experienced international non-governmental organization leader focusing on natural resource management, conservation, and sustainable development most recently in wetlands management and whaling.
“We’re thrilled to welcome exceptional, passionate, and visionary leaders to the Friends of Ocean Action. Their expertise and passion are essential to our mission of accelerating bold, scalable solutions to the ocean’s most urgent challenges,” said Alfredo Giron, Head of Ocean at the World Economic Forum. “This year, our focus is on deepening collaboration and creating synergies across ocean-related priorities. A strong, diverse community of leaders is more crucial than ever to driving partnerships and fast-tracking ocean action.”
The Friends of Ocean Action convened on Sunday coinciding with New York Climate Week with a recommitment to demonstrate measurable progress on ocean health by the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in June 2025 in Nice, France.
Currently the Friends are focusing on synergies and partnerships to Bring it All Together for the ocean.
See the full list of members of Friends of Ocean Action.
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About Friends of Ocean Action
Friends of Ocean Action is the World Economic Forum’s multi-stakeholder community of global ocean leaders who work together to fast-track ambitious solutions for ocean health and a regenerative ocean economy. Launched in 2018 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Friends of Ocean Action creates platforms and initiatives that advance action for the Sustainable Development Goal for Life Below Water, SDG14.
About the Ocean Action Agenda
The World Economic Forum's Ocean Action Agenda creates innovative platforms at the nexus of science, business and policy and cultivates partnerships across business, government, academia and civil society to fast-track ambitious solutions for a sustainable ocean economy.
It convenes a wide range of stakeholders across sectors and communities, including the Friends of Ocean Action, the Blue Carbon Action Partnership, 1000 Ocean Startups, and Sector Transitions for Nature Positive.