World Sailing supports The Ocean Race and global partners' call for recognition of the inherent rights of the ocean

The Ocean Race Summit – Presenting Ocean Rights, held on Monday 18 September 2023 at the UN headquarters during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York, culminates several years of work to develop principles for a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.

The proposal is also a call for urgent action: the ocean is not only a resource but critical to all life, and a change is needed in the way society values, treats and interacts with the blue heart of our planet, facing cumulative impacts from pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and climate change.

Alexandra Rickham, World Sailing’s Head of Sustainability, said, “Sailors and the sport of sailing are uniquely positioned to witness the changes in our oceans. These changes impact every aspect of life on this planet and it is our duty to do all we can to protect all of our oceans and seas. Highlighting the issues on a global level and agreeing a universal accord for now and the future will push environmental sustainability to the forefront of all major decisions, and set in motion a series of actions to address and reverse the damage to ecosystems around the world.”

World Sailing marked this year’s World Ocean Day by calling on the federation’s global community of sailors to support the One Blue Voice petition. This campaign helped drive public support for ocean rights and underpinned the draft principles presented to the UN General Assembly this week.

Principles on ocean rights

Principles on ocean rights, developed by over 150 global experts, policymakers, business leaders, lawyers, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, NGOs, and other stakeholders, include recognising that we are all ocean guardians and have a shared responsibility to care and ensure responsible use of the ocean; respecting diverse values, knowledge and practices; recognising the ocean’s right to representation and to have a voice at the table; and guaranteeing the principle of precaution and prevention when serious and irreversible damage is suspected.

The principles were shared with an audience of heads of State, ministers and delegates from Permanent Missions to the UN with the aim of growing support with United Nations Member States, with the goal of securing a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights by 2030 that would provide a global approach to protecting the seas.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to legally grant nature rights. Over 200 laws and policies in over 40 countries around the world have recognised that nature, including ecosystems and species, has inherent rights, and legally should have the same protection as people and corporations; that ecosystems and species have legal rights to exist, thrive and regenerate.

The Ocean, as the largest ecosystem on the planet, generates oxygen, sequesters carbon dioxide, regulates climate, is the primary source of food and jobs for millions of people, and sustains millions of species, both marine and land-based.

Along with the principles, The Ocean Race and partners presented the One Blue Voice petition, which contained signatures from citizens from 178 countries, showing that there is strong support from the public to give the ocean a voice.

In the ambitious journey towards the adoption of a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights, the short term ambition of the principles presented is to serve as a foundation in supporting the inclusion of Ocean Rights in the 2023 United Nations Omnibus Resolution on ‘Oceans and Law of the Seas.’

Working towards a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights is part of The Ocean Race’s multi-award winning ‘Racing with Purpose’ sustainability programme developed in collaboration with 11th Hour Racing, a Premier Partner of The Ocean Race.

Watch the full Summit in New York here.

Read more about the proposal on The Ocean Race website.