First Oceans 20 Communiqué urges bold G20 action for ocean stewardship

As one of six co-conveners of Oceans 20, the UN Global Compact and partners release first Oceans 20 communique to set the tone for a critical meeting on Oceans on the sidelines of the G20 in Brazil this week

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

• Oceans 20 prioritizes the ocean in the G20 agenda. It focuses on economic, environmental, and social sustainability through cross-sector collaboration.
• Before the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 18–19 November, Oceans 20 released a Communiqué outlining ten priority themes and six actionable recommendations that promote a sustainable ocean economy, energy transition, food security, marine conservation, strengthened governance, and increased ocean finance.
• The Communiqué was drafted through a global process that gathered over 6,000 participants from 34 countries, featuring contributions from more than 300 international speakers.

The global economy relies on the ocean, with a value of key ocean assets estimated at USD $24 trillion — equivalent to 3–5% of global GDP. Yet, the ocean has been historically overlooked in global discussions, often relegated to a secondary position on the international agenda. 

G20 countries govern nearly half of the world’s coastline and are home to 60% of the world’s population. They are also responsible for 75% of global trade and accounted for 80% of global carbon emissions. As a result, they have a critical responsibility to protect marine ecosystems while promoting a sustainable and equitable ocean economy.

In recent years, multilateral discussions have increasingly recognized the role of the ocean in supporting sustainable development, economic growth and planetary health. By 2030, the annual economic value of ocean-based industries is estimated to contribute over $3 trillion annually to the global economy. To ensure a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, there is an urgent need to engage stakeholders from all sectors. Now is the time for decisive action — to lead, protect, and nurture the ocean that sustains us all.

Oceans 20 (O20) is the first permanent Engagement Group in the G20 recognizing the central role of the ocean in the global nature and climate agendas. It emerged from efforts inspired by the Indonesian and Indian G20 Presidencies and was elevated to a permanent status in the G20 in March 2024 under Brazil’s Presidency. This recognition marked a historic step forward toward the G20’s opportunity of driving economic and social prosperity, climate action, and security. 

Today, O20 released its first Communiqué “Driving Economic Prosperity, Climate Action, and Security through Ocean Stewardship” as a call for G20 Leaders to integrate the ocean into their climate, development, and trade agendas. The release takes place nearly a week before the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 18–19 November in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Under Brazil’s Presidency, the environmental and climate sustainability group put the ocean at the forefront of the global environmental agenda, emphasizing their essential role in climate stability and the need to conserve marine biodiversity to restore planetary health,” says Ana Paula Prates, Director of the Ocean and Coastal Management Department, Ministry of Environment of Brazil. “The recommendations and actions shared by O20 in the past few months, drawing up proposals and actions from the global ocean community, contributed to strengthening the final declaration of the G20 Environment Ministers,” she adds.

O20 encouraged international cooperation and engagement across governments, the corporate sector, academia, and civil society, with the Ocean Dialogues global and inclusive process. This initiative has engaged over 6,000 participants from 34 countries, featuring contributions from more than 300 international speakers, with an aim to compile a list of actionable recommendations for the G20 that O20 synthesised in its first Communiqué. “This well succeeded worldwide process engaged stakeholders from G20 members and its invited countries whose recommendations were considered in the Declaration of the Environment and Sustainable Development Working Group. Oceans 20 worked to establish an ocean-related G20 community. It also established a communication channel with G20 working groups, giving society a voice to help construct the ocean we need for the future we want,” says Prof. Alex Turra, Chair of Oceans 20 from the UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability.

The O20 Communiqué features six key actionable recommendations under ten priority themes. These themes focused on promoting a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, advancing an ambitious and just energy transition, fostering food security, conserving and restoring marine ecosystems, strengthening ocean governance, social inclusion, policy coherence and integration, science and innovation, stimulating public-private-philanthropic partnership, and accelerating ocean finance. 

“The Oceans 20 Communiqué translates an actionable and powerful plan for G20 leaders by establishing a trilingual dialogue among science, economy, and policy. This is what the G20 can offer to humanity, bearing in mind that the ocean unites us and represents prosperity and many yet unveiled resources. As we prepare to pass the torch to South Africa, a longtime partner in ocean sciences, we hope to carry this mission forward,” says Janice Trotte Duhá, Director of Infrastructure and Operations at the National Institute of Oceanographic Research (INPO).

The O20 calls on G20 Leaders to mainstream ocean considerations into their climate, development and trade priorities; and Brazil is taking the lead on this, especially with regards to the ocean-climate nexus. “As the host of UNFCCC COP30, Brazil is counting on the O20 to build an ‘Action Agenda on Climate and Oceans’ to be taken to the other G20 Presidencies and to permanently and comprehensively include the ocean in the UNFCCC COP negotiations,” says Ana Paula Prates, Director of the Ocean and Coastal Management Department, Ministry of Environment of Brazil. 

The Communiqué call to G20 leaders shares critical results during Ocean 20’s inaugural year, yet considerable work remains to secure concrete results and ensure a sustainable and equitable ocean economy. “Our achievements with the O20 Engagement Group are nothing short of phenomenal, and the strong support from Brazil’s G20 Presidency is a significant reason for our success. But one success, though noteworthy, isn’t enough — we must formalise the ocean track in future G20 deliberations. This will ensure sound science to continually guide G20 Leaders in building a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, ensuring that the vital work of the O20 continues with upcoming Presidencies, starting with South Africa next year,” says Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Director of Marine Policy Center and Senior Advisor to the President on Ocean and Climate Policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

The Oceans 20 concept was first initiated in 2022 by the Government of Indonesia, with the support of the World Economic Forum, in efforts to bring the public sector and business leaders together to drive nature-positive action for a sustainable and equitable blue economy that regenerates ocean biodiversity and health. “The progress made since 2022, when the O20 idea was tabled by the G20 Indonesia Presidency is remarkable. From Indonesia through to India and Brazil, G20 is demonstrating strong leadership to raise and recognize the economic value of the ocean. The opportunities that the ocean economy offers for equitable development, sustainable growth and prosperity are countless. Now is the time for G20 Leaders to move from ambition to concrete action by integrating the O20 recommendations in their deliberations and developing a plan for their implementation under the next G20 South Africa Presidency,” says Silvia Guzzini, Strategy and Programme Lead, Ocean Action Agenda, World Economic Forum.

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About Oceans 20

O20, chaired by the UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability, has been co-convened by  the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), the National Institute for Ocean Research (INPO), UN Global Compact, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the World Economic Forum.

About the G20

The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

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Media contact

For further information or for interviews please contact Erin Skoczylas on erin.skoczylas@weforum.org.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Oceans 20, please contact the Oceans 20 Brasil at oceans20@oceans20brasil.org.

Note to editors

> Find out more about the Oceans20 Brasil Engagement Group here

> Learn more about the World Economic Forum’s Friends of Ocean Action

> Follow Friends of Ocean Action on X/Twitter and LinkedIn

CONTACT: United Nations Global Compact
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