The 11th Our Ocean Conference brought the global ocean community to Mombasa, Kenya at a defining moment for ocean protection. As the first Conference hosted on the African continent, it highlighted a tremendous opportunity to elevate youth leadership, in a region which is home to the world's largest youth population, in a convening of governments, NGOs, scientists, philanthropies, Indigenous leaders, and advocates. 

With more than 320 new commitments valued at approximately $6.4 billion announced during the Conference, momentum for ambitious action continues to grow. The focus must now be on the critical importance of governments, organizations, local communities, and young leaders working together to translate those commitments into meaningful protection for the ocean.

For our EarthEcho International team on the ground in Mombasa, the theme of implementation, and the key role young people play in this process, shaped our conversations, events, and priorities throughout the week. 

Elevating Youth Leadership through Key Events 

EarthEcho's delegation joined partners across the Conference to demonstrate how investing in youth leadership strengthens ocean conservation at every level.

Alongside our partners at the High Seas Alliance, we brought this message to the local Mombasa community, joining the Alliance and the University of Nairobi, Mombasa campus for a special public lecture, The BBNJ Treaty — A New Chapter in Ocean Governance exploring the future of High Seas governance. The discussion, which featured our High Seas Youth Ambassador, Autone Mululuma, introduced the High Seas Treaty to young people in the region and highlighted the background knowledge and opportunities for engagement to help shape the implementation of the Treaty in the years ahead.

We were also thrilled to join a network of partners for a special session organized by The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, From Understanding to Application: Capacity Development for Effective Implementation of Marine 30x30, featuring High Seas Youth Ambassador, Okello Allan Mugisha. During the session, Okello highlighted how capacity building initiatives, like EarthEcho’s Youth Ambassador programs, are key to effectively achieving the target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 (30x30). 

Our youth Ambassadors’ voices reflected a critical point: as implementation of global commitments accelerates, investing in youth leadership will be essential to ensuring ocean protection efforts remain effective, locally grounded, and durable.

Expanding Our Commitment to Youth-Driven Ocean Protection

Building on these conversations, EarthEcho announced our new Our Ocean Conference Commitment to expand our globally coordinated Ocean Protection Ambassador program which equips young people with the training, funding, and tools to lead campaigns to establish, enhance, and defend marine protected areas. The commitment builds on EarthEcho's successful Ocean Protection Ambassador programs in the United States and European Union - creating a globally connected model that supports regional leadership and international collaboration among participants. 

Through this commitment, EarthEcho will:

• Launch new and expanded Ocean Protection Ambassador cohorts across the Pacific and European Union respectively, connected with existing cohorts in the United States. 
• Establish a global coordination model connecting our Ocean Protection Ambassador cohorts for shared learning, mentorship, and collective impact to drive 30x30 globally.
• Mobilize delegations of Ocean Protection Ambassadors to participate in major international ocean policy convenings, ensuring young leaders continue contributing directly to global decision-making building on their local campaign work. 
• Invest in long-term leadership by providing Ambassador alumni with micro-grants that expand advocacy efforts, strengthen campaigns, and support long term participation in ocean policy processes.

Our commitment recognizes that achieving 30x30 requires more than protected area designations. Success depends on sustained public engagement, local leadership, and coordinated global action with young people uniquely positioned to help connect those efforts across communities, regions, and international policy forums.

Building the Partnerships Needed for 30x30

The Conference also reinforced that no single organization can achieve ambitious ocean protection goals alone.

Throughout the week, EarthEcho collaborated with longstanding partners and new allies to co-host events, advance policy discussions, strengthen advocacy strategies, and identify new opportunities to expand youth engagement in global ocean governance. These partnerships are critical to ensuring that momentum generated at international conferences translates into lasting conservation impact.

As implementation of the High Seas Treaty moves toward the first Conference of the Parties (CoP1) and countries continue working to achieve 30x30, collaboration across governments, civil society, philanthropy, scientists, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and youth leaders will determine our collective success.

The conversations in Mombasa made one thing clear: The next chapter of ocean conservation will not be defined by the commitments announced during a single week. It will be defined by our ability to implement them together.

Takeaways from Ocean Protection Ambassadors

Okello Allan Mugisha — “Attending the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa was a transformative experience that reinforced a key message: the future of ocean governance is no longer about negotiation, but about implementation. With the High Seas Treaty now in force, the urgency has shifted toward turning ambition into action especially as we move closer to CoP1 in 2027.

One of my biggest takeaways is that achieving the global 30x30 goal will depend on how effectively we move from commitments to real, measurable implementation on the ground. We are only about one-third of the way there, and the time remaining to 2030 is limited, which makes collaboration, accountability, and urgency more important than ever.

As a youth advocate, I also left Mombasa more convinced than ever that young people are not just participants in this process, we are essential drivers of implementation. We play a critical role in translating global commitments into local action, sustaining momentum between major political milestones, and ensuring that progress toward ocean protection remains inclusive and equitable.

Overall, the conference strengthened my commitment to ocean advocacy, expanded my network, and deepened my understanding that the real work begins now moving from promises to protection.”

Autone Mululuma — "The challenge before us is not the lack of knowledge, but whether we have the political will and leadership to change the way we perceive our oceans. More often than not, we speak about the need to build capacity. However, communities are already leading ambitious initiatives to restore our oceans. Local leaders are changing the narrative, while governments and partners are shaping pathways for better governance. Certainly, what we need are the tools to reinforce these actions and accelerate progress towards 30×30.’’

EarthEcho is proud to stand alongside our partners and the extraordinary young leaders driving change around the world as we continue working toward a healthier, more resilient ocean for generations to come.

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