A new international initiative aimed at advancing women’s leadership in ocean conservation was unveiled at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, bringing together three governments and 20 global institutions. The Women Ocean Guardians commitment positions coastal women as central figures in marine protection and sustainable development efforts.

Costa Rica, Grenada, and the United Kingdom were among the first countries to endorse the new agreement, which seeks to weave gender equity into ocean governance and national environmental strategies. The move will help channel resources into women-led marine conservation efforts, while also promoting inclusion in decision-making and leadership roles.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved $3.8 million to expand women-led ocean initiatives. This funding will support the Women Ocean Guardians project, which will be implemented via the CI-GEF Agency and managed through the WCS 30×30 Ocean Accelerator—an initiative focused on area-based marine conservation and inclusive governance.

“For me, as an Indigenous marine woman, this global commitment to women-led initiatives is profoundly transformative,” said Wildres Jennifer Rodríguez Wood. “It’s critical that the Women Ocean Guardians initiative expands globally because women in coastal and marine areas everywhere face universal challenges, including violations of basic rights, lack of access to healthcare, and unequal pay. This network empowers us to raise our voices, share our experiences, and contribute our vital knowledge to our communities and the world, ensuring we are recognized as agents of change.”

The new pledge outlines specific actions to bring women into leadership roles within ocean governance frameworks. These steps include integrating gender equity into national ocean and biodiversity strategies, securing financing for female-led marine conservation projects, and building technical and financial capacity for women in coastal communities.

“This is what transformation looks like – governments, communities, and funders coming together to back women on the frontlines of conservation,” said Pamela Castillo, Marine 30×30 Director at WCS. “There is no path to achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework and SDG 14 without the vision, the knowledge, and leadership of the women who have long been guardians of the sea.”

The Women Ocean Guardians initiative has been signed by 20 organisations, alongside the three participating countries. Signatories have committed to five core principles:

• “Embed gender equity in national ocean and biodiversity plans”
• “Elevate women into decision-making roles across marine governance bodies”
• “Fund women-led conservation and climate-resilient livelihoods”
• “Build leadership, technical, and financial capacity among coastal women”
• “Track progress with transparent, equity-focused data and accountability systems”

Dr. Fred Boltz, Head of Programming at the GEF, said, “The GEF, as a committed advocate for the vital leadership of women as stewards of a healthy planet for healthy people, and a dedicated supporter of the Women Ocean Guardians initiative since its inception, is proud to have followed through with our pledge to mobilize this important investment within a year.”

This global commitment builds on regional momentum established in 2024, when women leaders from 11 nations across Latin America and the Caribbean united under the Women Ocean Guardians banner. Their efforts have driven structural changes aimed at achieving fairer and more resilient outcomes for oceans and the communities that depend on them.

“Women’s voices on conservation and sustainable economic activities must be made visible if we want to achieve the 30×30 goal,” said Cindy Quesada, Minister of Women’s Affairs for Costa Rica. “With lived experience etched into their bodies and skin, they feel the effects of climate change more than anyone – and it is they who, at the local level, are adapting and protecting resources for future generations.”

The launch event at the UNOC3 was co-hosted by WCS and Conservation International, with backing from Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, and Global Gateway, among others. A packed audience heard calls for deeper global recognition of women’s contributions to ocean health and sustainable blue economies.

“I’m proud to publicly endorse the Call to Action and to join the UN Voluntary Commitment on women’s leadership in ocean governance and Sustainable Blue Economies. These actions are more than policy alignment,” said UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy MP. “They are a reflection and a commitment to partnership grounded in equity, humility, and shared purpose.”

Elena Finkbeiner, Director of Coastal Community Fisheries at Conservation International, said, “It’s time for women ocean guardians to be recognized as leaders capable of transforming the future trajectory of our ocean planet.” She also added, “Their value and their voices have been made invisible for far too long, representing a missed opportunity for achieving our global conservation and sustainable development goals. Now is the time to come together and generate the momentum needed to dismantle the old paradigm.”

Support for the initiative has come from a range of public and private sources. The Thomas L. Kempner, Jr. Foundation is among the principal backers, with additional co-financing from the Oak Foundation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MarFund), Fundecooperación, and Movilizatorio.

Women Ocean Guardians aims to unite the conservation and sustainable use agendas while creating space for women at the decision-making table. It seeks to build a future where coastal women are not only visible, but empowered to shape and lead global marine conservation efforts.