The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy in collaboration with the World Resources Institute are pleased to a announce a webinar to launch the new ‘Handbook on Sustainable Ocean Plans: A practitioners’ guide’, on Thursday, 30 October 2025 from 16:00-17:00 GMT (UTC+0)
The ocean is under threat from the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. To address this, governments must commit to the protection and sustainable use of ocean areas under national jurisdictions. Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) present a solution to achieving 100% sustainable ocean management. They provide a strategic, knowledge-based, and participatory framework that defines a long-term vision for ocean sustainability. SOPs serve as a comprehensive and holistic “umbrella” that unifies all ocean-related policies and governance and aligns with international frameworks and best practices.
This event will launch the Ocean Panel’s “Handbook on Sustainable Ocean Plans: A practitioners’ guide”. This new technical manual provides a step-by-step guide to creating an SOP, including:
- Setting objectives and defining the scope of the SOP through coordination and collaboration
- Financial planning and resource mobilisation
- Defining the baseline and analysing potential future conditions
- The building blocks of SOPs
- Implementation and action planning
This event will include a presentation from the lead authors, detailing the contents of the handbook, before inviting Ocean Panel country members to discuss their own experiences in setting up their SOPs. All audiences are welcome, especially those practitioners responsible for the production of country development plans.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Norma Munguía Aldaraca, Director General for Global Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
- Julian Barbière, Marine Policy Head and UN Ocean Decade Coordinator, IOC-UNESCO
- Cynthia Barzuna, Deputy Director, Ocean Program, World Resources Institute
- Marinez Scherer, COP30 Special Envoy for the Ocean
- Nii Moi Thompson, Senior Advisor to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals of Ghana
- Salvador Vega, Head of the Oceans Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile
