At the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), governments, island leaders, nonprofits, artists, scientists, and experts united behind one mission: take action to protect and sustainably manage our ocean. At UNOC, Island Conservation announced it is joining Ocean Action 2030, an initiative by the World Resources Institute that supports countries in building a sustainable ocean economy through the development and implementation of Sustainable Ocean Plans—and that’s just one of the incredible partnerships we forged. 

Ocean Action 2030’s coalition of 20 leading institutions aims to ensure that every coastal and ocean state can sustainably manage 100% of its marine territory by 2030. As a partner, Island Conservation brings its deep field expertise and knowledge of the land-sea connection to help nations overcome the hurdles of transitioning to stable ocean economies. 

Beyond our new coalition with Ocean Action 2030, we demonstrated at UNOC the powerful things that are possible when healthy islands and oceans are prioritized together. Here are just a few of the new commitments we can celebrate: 

• Welcoming Robinson Crusoe Island (Chile) and Chincha Norte (Peru), as well as partners Conservation X Labs, to the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge, advancing our mission to restore and rewild 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030.
• Supporting the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) community in implementing their Marine Protected Area (MPA) management plan, in partnership with the Blue Nature Alliance. This is Island Conservation’s most significant foray into marine management, with the potential to transform MPA administration around the world.
• Advocating for a UN Decade of Island Resilience, spotlighting islands as transformative engines at the intersection of biodiversity, climate, ocean health, and human development.

After two weeks building partnerships and advocating for islands in Nice, France, our Vice President of Conservation Programs, Cameron Diver, left with a renewed sense of hope for our planet’s future. 

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