From CoralGPT to billions in pledges, let’s dive into the 11th Our Ocean Conference and explore the key outcomes for our blue planet.

If you have been following my work around sustainability, marine ecology and conservation, then you’ll know that I see the ocean as both a passion, but also as the life-support system of our planet. When major summits, such as COP30 or the Our Ocean Conferences, roll around, it’s often easy to look at them with cautious optimism, or with good-old eco-anxiety. We’ve all seen climate conferences promise the earth and barely deliver the paperwork, after all.

Yet this June, we saw something historic. For the first time, the annual Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) was hosted on the African continent, in the coastal city of Mombasa and the region of Kilifi, Kenya. From the 16th to 18th June 2026, over 5,000 participants from 104 countries joined together to explore “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.”

But, what exactly was pledged in the 320 voluntary commitments? And how will countries plan to mobilise the $6.4 billion in financial support that was promised in Mombasa? Let’s break down exactly what this means for the planet.

The 6 Areas of Focus

Each OOC looks at 6 key areas affecting our blue planet, from climate change and marine pollution to sustainable fishing and the green economy. Within each, the 5,000 heads of state, scientists, youth representatives, NGOs and Indigenous leaders, made various commitments to safeguard the ocean for future.

1. Ocean-Climate Nexus

Under this heading, focusing on the intersection between climate change and its impacts on our oceans, 57 commitments were made, mobilising $1,180 million.

Leading the charge here was Japan, whose government committed an incredible $333 million to directly support climate resilience and green growth in Vietnam – one of the world’s most impacted countries by the effects of climate change.

2. Marine Pollution

Stopping pollution at the source is vital, and the major commitment of 45 pledges totalling $223 million, was made by the European Union. Under its Horizon Europe programme, the Union has pledged $37.5 million to develop nature-positive solutions to reduce plastic, nutrient and chemical pollution from source to sea.

3. Marine Protected Areas

Excitingly, 67 commitments were made under this heading, totalling $355 million. This is truly needed if we hope to hit global biodiversity goals such as protecting 30% of the planet by 2030 – the 30×30 Goal.

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund truly stepped up to the plate here, launching a regional conservation finance platform to deploy $50 million to achieve the Caribbean’s 30×30 goal.

4. Maritime Security

Perhaps not a focus you might have considered, but it’s hard to protect marine life if we can’t securely manage maritime territories. 14 commitments were made to mobilise a total of $28 million, all aimed at improving the security of shipping lanes and protected areas.

The EU led the way here again, committing $18.84 million to launch the second phase of the Red Sea-HoA Programme. This initiative aims at improving marine safety and navigation across the Southern Red Sea, Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden – three marine regions known for modern piracy.

5. Sustainable Blue Economy

This sector represented the largest number of commitments, seeing 86 pledges totalling $2,864 million. The World Bank announced an investment of $1 billion over the next two years as part of this.

This pledge will advance the sustainable blue economy across developing nations, while aiming to show how economic progress and ecological health can grow hand in hand.

6. Sustainable Fisheries

Overfishing is one of the most immediate threats to marine ecosystems, bar climate change, and the pledges made here reflect this. 51 commitments totalling $1,750 million were made. Host nation Kenya committed $200 million to install electronic monitoring and automatic identification systems across its fishing fleet to restore transparency and sustainability to their waters.

Closer to home, the UK committed $489 million (£360 million) to support fishing and coastal communities, with Italy allocating $533.3 million towards sustainable fisheries and marine conservation.

The Unsung Heroes of OOC11

Yet there were more pledges and initiatives that were missed by billion-dollar headlines. These are what truly get me excited as an ocean advocate myself:

CoralGPT. Yes, you read that right. Vital Ocean is building CoralGPT – an open-source, Large Language Model aiming to bridge the gap between coral reef research and real-world policy.

The Mombasa Declaration, launched by the Environmental Justice Foundation and a coalition of over 60 marine protection organisations, will directly target illegal and unregulated fishing. Endorsed by 10 maritime states, it will drive a new standard for global fisheries transparency.

Ocean Literacy is being embedded into the Brazilian National Curriculum to raise a new generation of ocean-conscious citizens, and Portugal announced the Young Fisherman Act to bring financial and training incentives designed to encourage younger generations to enter sustainable fishing and aquaculture careers.

Looking Ahead

As we look forward, the immediate global priority will be to close the “implementation gap” – the gap between pledges made and action taken. To maintain global momentum, the actions announced by each of the 104 countries at the OOC11 need to begin to be embedded into national and global policy. Only this way, can we fulfil the 30×30 target, and rebuild the health of our oceanic ecosystems.

The torch will now pass to Canada, with the 12th Our Ocean Conference scheduled to take place in Halifax in Spring 2027. This conference will showcase Indigenous and community leadership in ocean action as well as hold nations accountable to their promises at OOC11.