President William Ruto
has announced that the country will host the 11th edition of Our Ocean
Conference in 2026.
Ruto revealed this after he had a telephone conversation with former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is also a founder of Our Ocean Conference.
The Our Ocean Conference focuses on addressing the
current key ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, food
security and pollution.
In a statement on
Monday, Ruto said the organisation’s Advisory Group made the request, owing to “the
exemplary global leadership we have shown in environmental and ocean issues”.
He added that Kenya is
also a pioneer in national policies that tackle ocean pollution.
“The conference,
therefore, will be an apt opportunity for Kenya to highlight our blue economy
agenda and champion Africa’s climate action on oceans, especially in the Indian
Ocean, which is a shared resource among 23 countries,” the President said.
Ruto said Kerry expressed
his support for Kenya hosting the conference.
According to information
provided by Our Ocean, the conference has, since 2014, become a global call to action
for the ocean, mobilising over 2,600 commitments worth approximately US$140
billion.
The annual conference convenes governments, NGOs, the
private sector and the academic community to identify action-based solutions
and make tangible commitments.
The
conference is a crucial moment for the ocean community year after year,
gathering lessons learned, sharing the best science, offering unique
perspectives, and demonstrating effective actions toward protecting and
improving the health of the ocean.
The Our Ocean Conference is by invitation only and is
extended to representatives from governments, NGOs, international groups,
academia and private sector groups who are committed to ocean protection.
The conference program includes a main plenary, as
well as side events, which provide a platform for collaboration and dialogue.
Each year, the host country invites applications for
side events from governments and organisations in attendance.
Our Ocean Conference 2025 will be
hosted by Korea in Busan from April 28 to April 30, under the theme “Our
Ocean, Our Action”.
This will be the tenth Our Ocean
Conference.
According to
Our Ocean, the hosts aim to make significant progress in the next decade by
highlighting the need to transition from an “ocean in crisis” to an
“ocean of hope” through the delivery of smart, concrete, and
intuitive governance actions.
The
Conference will serve as an important moment to build momentum for cooperation
and implementation of agreements to protect and conserve the ocean, such as the
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and the UN Treaty on Plastic
Pollution.
The hosts
expect to discuss innovative and inclusive initiatives for the sustainable
development of the global ocean and the coexistence and prosperity of the ocean
and humanity.
The special
agenda theme will be “Digital Oceans”, focusing on means to drive
action. Digital Oceans is a concept that combines the ocean industry and
digital technology, serving as an implementation tool to achieve a sustainable
ocean swiftly and systematically.