Our Ocean Conference 2026 (OOC11) brought together governments, Indigenous Peoples, coastal communities, youth, scientists, civil society and the private sector to advance commitments for ocean protection and sustainable ocean governance.
Hosted by the Government of Kenya in Mombasa from 16 to 18 June 2026, it was the first time the conference had taken place on African soil.
With more than 3 billion people depending on the ocean for food and livelihoods, accelerating climate impacts, and persistent inequities in fisheries, conservation and climate finance, OOC11 was a critical moment to strengthen coordination, elevate community leadership and influence decision-making processes at a global level.
Gaps in Global Ocean Policy
Global ocean governance still does not adequately reflect the rights, knowledge and priorities of ocean-dependent communities, despite the urgency created by accelerating climate impacts, biodiversity loss and deepening inequalities in ocean use and access.
By participating in OOC11, RISE UP worked to ensure that participation was not symbolic but transformative — strengthening collective influence, improving access to decision-making spaces and helping ensure that global ocean commitments translate into meaningful outcomes for diverse coastal voices and ocean-dependent communities.
Ahead of OOC11, RISE UP and partners hosted an online preparatory session designed to support civil society organizations, community leaders and movement partners to better understand the conference process, key themes and opportunities for engagement.
The session provided an overview of the Our Ocean Conference, including major focus areas, governance discussions and expected outcomes, while also creating space for dialogue, connection and shared learning across participants. The webinar helped to strengthen collective understanding, support alignment across stakeholders and ensure that community voices were informed and better positioned to engage with or respond to conference outcomes. Read more about the session.
Aligning with the Conference Areas of Action
Our Ocean Conference is structured around six globally recognized Areas of Action that guide dialogue, commitments and partnerships across each edition of the conference, ensuring continuity and coherence in global ocean governance.
At OOC11, RISE UP aligned its engagement with three of these areas as a strategic opportunity to elevate and integrate community perspectives, while strengthening accountability, justice and inclusion within global ocean decision-making spaces.
Supporting sustainable fisheries governance through community-led approaches that protect marine ecosystems while advancing the rights, livelihoods and food security of small-scale fishing communities.
Championing equitable and community-led ocean–climate action through local adaptation, blue carbon ecosystems and just transition approaches that support healthy oceans and resilient coastal communities.
Strengthening community participation, transparency and accountability in marine conservation and ocean governance processes, including BBNJ implementation, Areas Based Management Tools and opposition to Deep-Sea Mining.
The RISE UP working session on 16 June convened ocean-dependent communities, civil society organizations, youth leaders, partners and policy actors in a focused space for accountability, alliance and action alongside OOC11.
Centred on these three interconnected themes — plus emerging ocean policies — the session explored accountability gaps and set out to strengthen coordination across movements and support collective advocacy beyond the conference. It produced a shared statement, ‘No More Empty Pledges’, signed by RISE UP and more than 20 partner organizations.
For RISE UP’s reflections on the conference — including the commitments and signals worth watching on deep-sea mining and small-scale fisheries — read RISE UP at OOC11: Holding the Line Between Pledges and Practice.
To follow RISE UP’s work after OOC11 and on the road to COP31, sign up for The Navigator, RISE UP’s monthly newsletter.
Ahead of OOC11, RISE UP called for submissions to the second issue of “Frontlines of the Blue Future”, a digital publication highlighting practical, community-led ocean–climate solutions.
We sought organizations advancing:
While submissions were open globally, we especially encouraged initiatives from across Africa ahead of the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya.
Issue 2 was launched at RISE UP’s Climate Week NYC session on 22 September 2026, showcasing grassroots restoration projects and the RISE UP COP30 Fellows. Read Issue 2 of Frontlines of the Blue Future.
Our Ocean Conference had its own toolkit to support partners, delegates and attendees to amplify key messages, share updates and contribute to a coordinated global conversation, with ready-to-use resources highlighting ocean action, community leadership and commitments before and during the conference.
View the toolkit
