New cohort of Friends of Ocean Action all aboard for ocean health

New York, 20 September 2023 – Members of Friends of Ocean Action are meeting today in New York at the annual World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, with a recommitment to advance a healthy, thriving ocean that serves people and the planet.

Friends of Ocean Action is the World Economic Forum’s community of global ocean leaders who work together to fast-track ambitious solutions for ocean health. 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.

“We are excited and honoured to welcome such illustrious, expert, committed and dynamic new members of our Friends of Ocean Action community. Together with existing Friends, we look forward to working on fast-tracking the most ambitious and scalable multisectoral solutions and partnerships that engage a range of stakeholders to advance ocean health,” said Alfredo Giron, Head of Ocean at the World Economic Forum.

“The ocean is our lifeline. Without it there can be no life on Earth. It is thus that achieving a healthy, thriving ocean is so central to SDG14 and our sustainable development goals as a whole – from improving food and job security to regulating weather and the climate. Friends of Ocean Action is working to conserve and restore marine ecosystems, while at the same time boosting a sustainable and inclusive blue economy. All aboard for ocean health!” said Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, and co-chair of Friends of Ocean Action.

New members of Friends of Ocean Action include the following global ocean leaders:

Richard Brisius
Race Chairman, The Ocean Race
Julio Cordano
Director of Environment Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile
Elizabeth Cousens
President and CEO, United Nations Foundation
Arsenio Dominguez
Director, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Carlos Duarte
Director, Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform
Fangli Qiao
Deputy Director, First Institute of Oceanography, China
Charles Goddard
Editorial Director, The Economist Group
Zac Goldsmith
Former Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment, House of Lords, UK
Aimee Gonzales
Executive Director, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
Lasse Gustavsson
CEO, OceanWise
Henrik Harboe
Co-Chair, High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
Li Jianping
Dean of Academy of Future Ocean and Innovation, Ocean University of China
Tony Long
CEO, Global Fishing Watch
Anna Marsden
Managing Director, Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Australia
David Obura
Researcher and Founding Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO)
Loreley Picourt
Executive Director, Ocean & Climate Platform
Angelique Pouponneau
Chief of Staff, UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Team
Leticia Reis de Carvalho
Head, Marine and Fresh Water Unit, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Patricia Ricard
President, Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute
Karen Sack
Executive Director, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)
Kirsten Schuijt
Director General, WWF International
Ilana Seid
Co-Chair, High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
Rashid Sumaila
Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Canada
Tatsuro Watanabe
Chief Sustainability Officer, Mitsui OSK Lines
Wendy Watson-Wright
Vice-Chair, UN Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP)
Stephen Widdicombe
Director of Science and Deputy Chief Executive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK

See the full list of members of Friends of Ocean Action on our website.

Notes to editor:

Learn more about Friends of Ocean Action

Read Alfredo Giron’s Agenda blog post on the power and potential of multistakeholder partnerships for ocean health.