President William Ruto has announced that Kenya will host the eleventh edition of the Our Ocean Conference following a request by the organisation’s Advisory Group.
The Our Ocean Conference focuses on addressing the key ocean issues of modern times, including climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and pollution.
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Ruto, in a statement on April 14, said that he held a phone conversation with former United States Secretary of State John Kerry, the founder of the organization, who he said expressed support for Kenya hosting the conference.
Notably, the country will be the first African nation to host the conference, which was first hosted in 2014
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Other nations that have hosted the conference include the U.S, Chile, Malta (European Union), Indonesia, Norway, Palau, Panama, and Greece.
“Kenya will host the 11th edition of Our Ocean Conference in 2026. Our country was requested by the organisation’s Advisory Group to host the annual meeting because of the exemplary global leadership we have shown in environmental and ocean issues,” said Ruto.
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“Kenya is also a pioneer in national policies that tackle ocean pollution. The conference, therefore, will be an apt opportunity for Kenya to highlight our blue economy agenda and champion Africa’s climate action on oceans, especially in the Indian Ocean which is a shared resource among 23 countries.”
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About Our Ocean Conference
According to its website, the Our Ocean Conference convenes governments, NGOs, the private sector and the academic community to identify action-based solutions and make tangible commitments.
Since 2014, the conference has driven global action to protect marine environments, with over $140 billion (Ksh18.1 trillion) pledged and 2,600 commitments worldwide, fostering sustainable solutions for ocean conservation.
“The conference is a crucial moment for the ocean community year-after-year, gathering lessons learned, sharing the best science, offering unique perspectives, and demonstrating effective actions toward protecting and improving the health of the ocean,” says the conference in its website.
South Korea is set to host the tenth edition between April 28 and April 30, 2025.
2025 edition
Titled “Our Ocean, Our Action”, 2025’s hosts aim to make significant progress in the next decade by highlighting the need to transition from an “ocean in crisis” to an “ocean of hope” through the delivery of smart, concrete, and intuitive governance actions.
Also Read: Educating Youth to Tackle Climate Change to Achieve SDGs
2025’s event will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Our Ocean Conference and will serve as an important moment to build momentum for cooperation and implementation of agreements to protect and conserve the ocean, such as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and the UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution.
The conference’s founder, John Kerry, is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th U.S Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of former President Barack Obama.
A member of the Democratic Party, Kerry previously represented Massachusetts in the Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. special presidential envoy for climate from 2021 to 2024.
The former Secretary of State launched the Our Ocean Conference in 2014 while in office. The conference is hosted by the U.S. Department of State.
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