At a New York City Climate Week event on September 22, 2025, Ocean Conservancy, the Ocean & Climate Platform and World Resources Institute (WRI) will push for progress on a landmark international initiative to dramatically scale up ocean-focused climate action in countries’ national climate plans.
Launched earlier this year by France and Brazil at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the Blue NDC Challenge calls on global governments to place the ocean at the heart of their climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs) ahead of COP30, which Brazil will host from November 10 to 21, 2025.
In addition to France and Brazil, Australia, Fiji, Kenya, Mexico, Palau and the Republic of Seychelles have committed to including the ocean in their updated climate plans. The event will feature COP30 CEO, Ana Toni, among other high-level speakers, and encourage more countries to take on the challenge, highlighting the specific actions governments can take to ensure the ocean maintains its role in regulating the global climate.
“The ocean is what keeps our climate afloat, and governments around the world need to get on board,” said Dr. Fatima Candace Vahsling, vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s climate programme and a former White House climate official. “The ocean offers real solutions to climate challenges. It’s time to think blue for this blue planet of ours.”
The event will showcase progress on the Blue NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Challenge to date and reiterate the need to include climate-based solutions as a critical pathway to achieve the Paris Agreement.
Speakers include Janis Searles Jones, CEO, Ocean Conservancy; Ana Toni, CEO, COP30 Presidency; Antha Williams, Lead of Environment Program, Bloomberg Philanthropies; John Kerry, 68th U.S. Secretary of State and First Presidential Envoy for Climate; Representatives from France and other Blue NDC Challenge countries; and Representative from WRI and the Ocean Climate Platform.