The Ocean Centres will serve as locally led, multi-stakeholder platforms in Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines
A major step forward for ocean sustainability will be launched at the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025: a global network of Ocean Centres designed to put safety at the heart of the blue economy transition in emerging ocean economies.
Established through a pioneering partnership between the United Nations Global Compact and Lloyd’s Register Foundation (The Foundation), the Ocean Centres will serve as locally led, multi-stakeholder platforms in Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. Each Centre will address pressing safety and sustainability challenges specific to their national ocean economy, advancing resilient, people- and nature-positive development.
“Changing global workforce patterns, climate change, the energy transition, and technological innovation continue to bring new challenges and opportunities in growing ocean economies,” said Erik Giercksky, Ocean Lead at the UN Global Compact. “Collective, local action to drive safe and sustainable solutions is key to protecting those most affected as we work towards a people and nature positive future”.
Ocean industries are vital to food security, clean energy, global trade, and livelihoods, especially in the Global South, where maritime sectors underpin economic resilience. Yet they remain among the most hazardous sectors in the world. Ocean Centres are the only multi-stakeholder platforms of their kind focused on developing evidence-based, context-specific solutions to mitigate safety risks while supporting the expansion of sustainable ocean industries.
The Centres will catalyse national dialogues on safe practices across key sectors such as green shipping, ports, fishing, aquaculture, offshore renewables, and ocean finance. Working groups comprised of engineers, safety professionals, investors, and local stakeholders will translate these insights into actionable recommendations and policy input.
