From Nausicaá to Nice Youth Presented the Global Ocean Manifesto at UNOC3 – The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice, France, witnessed a powerful and historic moment as young leaders from around the world formally presented the Global Manifesto of Young Citizens of the Ocean to global decision-makers. Among the attendees who received the manifesto were French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean.
This symbolic and strategic intervention signaled a paradigm shift in how youth are positioning themselves, not merely as future stewards, but as active co-creators of the ocean solutions needed today.
A Global Voice for the Ocean’s Young Citizens
The manifesto, co-authored by over 60 young ocean advocates representing all regions — Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, emerged as a unified declaration of intent, concern, and vision. Its authors came from diverse backgrounds: marine scientists, indigenous youth, communicators, entrepreneurs, artists, students, and policy campaigners. What connected them was a common identity they chose for themselves:
“We are the Citizens of the Ocean—united by our connection to the sea and a shared duty to protect it.”
This opening statement, drawn from the manifesto’s preamble, reflected the sense of urgency and belonging felt by young people whose lives and livelihoods are directly impacted by the degradation of marine ecosystems.
Across the planet, youth have witnessed the rapid loss of biodiversity, the warming and acidification of oceans, the erasure of cultural and ecological heritage, and the continued exclusion of their voices from crucial decisions. The manifesto was, in essence, a counter-narrative call not only to stop harm, but to build new systems based on justice, respect, and restoration.
Demands Grounded in Justice, Equity, and Science
The Global Manifesto of Young Citizens of the Ocean laid out a comprehensive list of demands directed at national governments, multilateral institutions, funding bodies, and industries. These included:
- The formal recognition of youth as stakeholders in all global and regional negotiations on ocean governance.
- The swift ratification and implementation of key international frameworks: the BBNJ Treaty, the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the anticipated Global Plastics Treaty.
- The legal integration of indigenous knowledge systems, and reforms to support indigenous leadership in environmental governance.
- The establishment of accessible, youth-friendly funding mechanisms for ocean innovation and conservation.
- A paradigm shifts from exploitation to protection as the guiding principle in all ocean-related development.
- Accountability frameworks for industries that pollute, exploit, or degrade marine ecosystems.
- Support for innovative financing tools, such as blue bonds and biodiversity-linked investments, that include youth and community perspectives.
Additionally, the youth called for the creation of interdisciplinary platforms that unite scientists, artists, community elders, policymakers, and young people to co-design integrated and locally appropriate solutions to ocean challenges.
Youth Leadership in Action
Beyond demands, the manifesto also captured a deep sense of moral responsibility. The young ocean citizens made their public commitments, vowing to:
- Be good ancestors, whose decisions today protect the rights of generations to come.
- Defend indigenous and traditional knowledge as part of climate and ocean solutions.
- Promote sustainable lifestyles rooted in circular economic principles.
- Create inclusive spaces for youth in leadership and decision-making.
- Hold both public and private actors accountable for environmental harms.
- Strengthen the human-ocean connection through storytelling, science, education, and cultural exchange.
These pledges were not vague promises but grounded in values and visions that transcend electoral cycles and funding deadlines. They represented a commitment to intergenerational equity and planetary health.
From Nausicaá to Nice
The development of the manifesto began several months before UNOC3. In March 2025, young ocean advocates gathered at the Ocean Citizens’ Summit, hosted at Nausicaá – Centre National de la Mer in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
Include youth from 22 networks and organisations across the world with the support of partners like Ifremer, Les Petits Débrouillards, GYBN, Youth4Ocean Forum, EuroMarine Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), and the African Blue Future Coalition, the groundwork was laid for a collective declaration that bridged regions and cultures.
The first presentation of the draft was made to Ambassador Ana Elena Pinto Lizano of Costa Rica, earning early diplomatic encouragement. From there, the manifesto continued to evolve, shaped by feedback and strengthened through collaboration.
Its presentation at UNOC3 to high-level leaders marked a culmination of this journey—but not an endpoint.
While the UN Ocean Conference officially concluded in mid-June, the work of the youth delegates was far from over. Youth-led coalitions immediately began forming regional working groups to localize and implement the manifesto’s demands.
From small island nations to Mediterranean coastal towns, these young leaders returned home with a mandate—not only to inspire but to act, advocate, and organize. They are now engaging national ministries, forming alliances with civil society, and working within the frameworks of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to push for ocean justice at every level.
They have made it clear:
“A healthy ocean requires a just world—and justice demands youth leadership.”
By claiming their role as active agents of change, the Citizens of the Ocean have demonstrated that the blue future must be co-written by the very generation who will live it. Their manifesto is not a one-time event. It is a living roadmap, a collective commitment, and a bold invitation to decision-makers and communities alike.
To read, support, and sign the Global Manifesto of Young Citizens of the Ocean, visit:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRdqPOP3DdZE3hq0XQz6fOJKvEuL1I7_WQIpsZYBnSzJlXUQ/viewform
And Also you can join Coalition of Emerging Ocean Leaders
https://www.linkedin.com/company/coalition-of-emerging-ocean-leaders/
From Nausicaá to Nice Youth Presented the Global Ocean Manifesto at UNOC3
