Friends of Ocean Action
Friends of Ocean Action is a unique, informal group of over 70 ocean leaders, convened by the Ocean Action Agenda which is hosted by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, which hosts the secretariat of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel). The members – the Friends – come from business, civil society, international organizations, science and technology and are committed to fast-tracking solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the ocean.
Our mission
The mission of Friends of Ocean Action is to use our knowledge, means and influence to help the international community take the urgent steps needed to “conserve and sustainably use our ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
Sustainable Development Goal 14 for life below water
Co-Chairs
Peter Thomson
UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean
Isabella Lövin
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
We have the knowledge, power and technology to put the ocean on a path to recovery. The ocean’s power of regeneration is remarkable, if we just offer it the chance.
Taking action
Friends of Ocean Action is the main community curated by the World Economic Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda which strives to facilitate ambitious global change to bring about the healthy ocean that is essential for people, the climate and nature to thrive.
By unlocking knowledge, engaging champions, building collaboration, involving other diverse communities and catalyzing innovation, the Ocean Action Agenda leads initiatives in the following four impact areas:
Ocean innovation
Blue food
Business and policy transformation
Climate and resilience
Friends of Ocean Action Tweets
The ocean sustains us, stabilizes our climate and absorbs much of the carbon and heat we produce.
Up to 50% of the Earth's oxygen comes from marine life.
Over 3 billion people rely on a healthy ocean to provide jobs and food.
If the ocean were an economy, it would be the seventh largest in the world.
Yet we are causing widespread harm to this planetary lifeline.
Human actions have pushed species to the brink, and caused seas to warm, rise and become more acidic.
8 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year – the equivalent of one garbage truck every minute.
