IMPACT REPORT2020

Ocean Unite 2020 Report2

1. ALetterfromourPresident 3

2. 30x30 4a. Governance 4

b. On-The-WaterChange 5

i.Antarctica2020 5

ii.Caribbean 7

iii.SouthAfrica 8

iv.Maldives 9

c. #LOVE30x30:AwarenessRaisingandCommunications 10

4. OceanUniteNetwork 11

5. OceanUniteAlliancesDrivingPositiveOceanAction 12 a. RISEUP 12 b. OceanRiskandResilienceActionAlliance(ORRAA) 13

6. OrganizationalHighlights 15

7. OurFunders 16

Contents

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 3

Dear Friends of the Ocean:

When I wrote this letter to you last year, we were in eager anticipation of the “Ocean super-year” we expected for 2020. I described the steps we had taken at Ocean Unite to set up our organization and orient our program to positively influence decisions at a series of key global political meetings on a new High Seas Treaty, Antarctic marine protection, deep-sea mining, and setting the agenda and goals on nature protection for the next ten years at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (CoP15) in China, in October 2020.

But instead, 2020 went in a direction we could not have predicted. The Covid-19 pandemic had, and continues to have, a devastating impact on the global community. The events of the Ocean super-year, expected to be pivotal steps to expand efforts in the fight against climate change and the destruction of ecosystems, were either postponed, held virtually on a smaller scale, or cancelled altogether. In the U.S. and many places around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic was coupled with the intense #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations, a reckoning for many about social, economic and environmental justice, and an election like no other in this country. The longer term global economic fallout of the pandemic has yet to be determined.

When the time comes for us to again meet safely in person, it will be with a very different perspective, but for Ocean Unite, our priorities remain clear.

The Ocean Unite team has always rowed together; this year more so than ever before. We have been able to navigate through postponed policy decisions, cancelled travel, illness, lost funding, and incredible uncertainty, while also laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be an impactful 2021.

In 2018, when we wrote our business plan to become a non-profit organization independent from our incubator at Virgin Unite, we established our mission and vision:

To secure Ocean health, it is critical to reduce CO2 emissions as quickly as possible while strongly protecting the scientifically recommended target of at least 30% of the Ocean by 2030 (30x30) to regenerate Ocean life, build resilience to change and reduce Ocean risk.

In putting together this report, it is gratifying to see that despite many of our plans needing to be rethought several times this year, we were able to remain true to our mission and vision, and advance the 30x30 call to action.

Ocean Unite continues to be a movement accelerator, engaging, activating, innovating change and accelerating investment to build Ocean health and resilience. Since our founding in 2015, our reputation as a unifying force for good with a focus on the Ocean rather than our brand has allowed us to achieve an incredible amount of on-the-water impact, including helping to strongly protect over 5 million km2 of Ocean around the globe, and bringing the broader Ocean community together around 30x30 and RISE UP, which is now the largest-ever cross-collaboration network of organizations working in the Ocean space with a common prescription for Ocean health. We have also developed and strengthened civil society, private and public sector partnerships through the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, a pioneering effort to drive investment into finance and insurance products that build resilience to counter Ocean risk for the most vulnerable.

Key achievements in 2020 include: • Supporting Antarctic Champion Lewis Pugh’s Antarctic swim

and advocacy in Russia.• Securing political support at the highest level for Southern

Ocean protection by France, Germany and the European Union.• Advancing efforts to formally secure a commitment to 30x30 in

the British Virgin Islands.• Organizing, sponsoring and participating in a Caribbean

ministerial gathering on Ocean policy.• Helping to launch the Maldives Coral Institute, to help coral

reefs to survive and adapt to climate change.• Helping to launch “Shark Attack”, a campaign to protect sharks

in South Africa.• Signing on more than 400 organizations to the RISE UP agenda

for Ocean health.• Building out the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance,

securing new members and being selected as a Paris Peace Forum showcase project.

• Launching the Ocean Risk and Resilience innovation challenge to build the project pipeline for sustainable financing products.

I am pleased to share with you this report on our 2020 achievements. We look forward to seeing you on the hopefully calmer seas of 2021 – where Ocean and climate issues become much more integrated; biodiversity, climate, resilience and financing become a focus for decision makers; and our program areas and alliances help to build the wave of change our blue planet so sorely needs.

Thank you for your continued commitment and support.

Karen Sack President & CEO

Ocean Unite 2020 Report4

30x30 is the call to action to safeguard at least 30% of the Ocean – the minimum level recommended by science – through a network of highly protected marine areas. It has been demonstrated that high level diplomatic and influencer efforts, Ocean Unite’s calling card, are critical to achieve action by governments.

Goal:Secure highly protected status for at least 30% of the Ocean by 2030.

Objectives:• Securing a new legally binding United Nations High Seas

biodiversity treaty.• Adoption of 30x30 as an international target at the

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).• Protecting a further 4 million km2 of the Southern Ocean by

the end of 2020.• Building 30x30 champions by accelerating marine protections

in the Caribbean, South Africa and the Maldives.• Raising awareness through public communications on the

importance and urgency of 30x30 (#Love30x30).

All of Ocean Unite’s work is focused on delivering the science-based 30x30 target and building Ocean resilience on a global scale. Despite Covid-19, the year still afforded multiple opportunities to advance against the 30x30 target.

GovernanceSecuring a new legally binding UN High Seas biodiversity treaty and adoption of 30x30 as an international target at the CBD.

Due to Covid-19, both the 4th intergovernmental conference to finalize a new UN High Seas agreement and the CBD CoP15 to negotiate a new Global Deal for Nature have been postponed until later in 2021. Despite these changes, Ocean Unite has continued to actively coordinate with the coalition of NGOs working on 30x30 and the High Seas.

Ocean Unite supported the High Seas Alliance as a scale-up project of the Paris Peace Forum – an annual event to focus on multilateral solutions to critical global issues. Ocean Unite supported the organization of a high-level panel on November 12, 2020 with Ocean Unite Network members José María Figueres (as moderator), Sir Richard Branson, and EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, joined by French Minister for the Sea Annick Girardin, and the Chair of the High Seas negotiating process, Singaporean Ambassador Rena Lee. It was an excellent opportunity for government and business leaders to exchange views on what is needed to successfully get the negotiations over the finish line in 2021. As a follow-up to the meeting, Sir Richard published a blog highlighting the importance of a strong treaty and the need to protect the High Seas.

Ocean Unite co-founder José María Figueres joined the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Nature, a group of former political leaders advocating for 30x30. The group released a statement in June urging that recovery from the global crisis requires investment in nature.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Continue to work closely with the High Seas Alliance to

support the successful development of the treaty, including activating our high-level Network champions to use their voices at key moments.

• Continue to work with the 30x30 Ocean Alliance and Campaign for Nature to identify key strategic interventions that Ocean Unite can carry out to support the adoption of this target at the CBD, including on the resource mobilization (financing) issue.

• Through our on-the-water work in the Caribbean and elsewhere, build further government champions that support a robust High Seas treaty and 30x30 at the CBD.Vi

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2020HIGHLIGHTS• ParisPeaceForumengagementandhigh-levelpanel.

• JoséMaríaFigueresparticipantinGlobalSteeringCommitteefortheCampaignforNature.

• Closecoordinationwith30x30NGOalliance.

José María Figueres and Sir Richard Branson at the Paris Peace Forum virtual event.

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 5

Progressingtothe30x30targetintheAntarctic,theCaribbean,SouthAfrica andtheMaldives

Antarctica2020

Objective:Using the high-level influence of the Antarctica2020 (A2020) group to increase the total amount of protection of the Southern Ocean to over 7 million km2 by 2020.

Since 2018, Ocean Unite has coordinated the A2020 Champions, a group of high-level influencers from the world of sports, politics, media and science, to build support for accelerating protection of the Southern Ocean. Currently, over 4.5 million km2 of the Southern Ocean has been protected,

but key marine areas are still under threat. Working with our partners The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), the group is campaigning for the establishment of three new large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) in the East Antarctic, Weddell Sea and Antarctic Peninsula. Together this will deliver the largest act of Ocean protection in history, protecting a further almost 4 million km2, which is 1% of the global Ocean, taking total protection of the region’s waters to way over 7 million km2.

Decisions on marine protections in the Southern Ocean require a consensus decision at the regional management organization. Two countries: China and Russia, are currently standing in the way of this consensus. While we did everything possible to achieve our 2020 objective at this year’s annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the pandemic and broader geopolitical relationships worked against a positive outcome. The online format of the meeting also hampered discussions and negotiations. Despite this disappointment, there has been significant success on the campaign this year as illustrated below. With a political shift in the U.S. imminent and emerging strong support from Europe, and with 2021 being the 60th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty System and 30th Anniversary of the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, we are looking forward to a year of action and outcomes.

The A2020 campaign welcomed three new Champions in 2020 who have been an impactful addition to the group: Ashlan Cousteau: Ocean explorer, journalist, speaker, host and filmmaker; Philippe Cousteau: Ocean explorer and multi-Emmy-nominated TV host, author, speaker and social entrepreneur; and Gesine Meissner: former German Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Endurance swimmer and Antarctica2020 Champion Lewis Pugh swimming in a glacial lake in the East Antarctic.

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Antarctic Champion Lewis Pugh’s swim in East

Antarctica and advocacy in Russia.• Three new A2020 Champions. • Secured high-level commitments of key leaders in

the EU, France, Germany and Spain, including the EU Commission President’s State of the Union speech.

• A2020 op-eds by Alexandra and Philippe Cousteau.• Increased public awareness with Only One’s

#Antarctica2020 campaign collaboration and petition launch.

• Virtual engagement and panels: World Economic Forum Virtual Ocean Dialogues “deep dive” session, Roscongress, Monaco Blue Initiative, and the Wilson Center.

On-The-Water Change

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Ocean Unite 2020 Report6

The campaign got off to a big splash in the first couple of months of the year with A2020 Champion and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh’s expedition (joined by fellow Champions José María Figueres and Slava Fetisov) to swim in a glacial lake in East Antarctica, and subsequent advocacy trip to Moscow. In February, Ocean Unite organized an in-person meeting of the A2020 Champions in Brussels to strategize for the year ahead and to meet with key European officials from European Commission President Von der Leyen’s cabinet.

From March, the campaign shifted from in-person activities to a more online focus, with increased engagement by the A2020 Champions in virtual meetings, including the Roscongress (organizers of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum) virtual panel aired on World Ocean Day, the World Economic Forum and Friends of Ocean Actions’ Virtual Ocean Dialogues “deep dive” session on Antarctica on June 2, 2020, highlighting the value of MPAs in the region and opportunities to reach consensus in 2020, and the Monaco Blue Initiative digital event.

Advocacy efforts in Europe by the group paid off and were a key contributing factor to a strong commitment to Southern Ocean MPAs in the EU Biodiversity Strategy released in May 2020, as well as in EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech in September. The campaign also used its connections to engage Spain as chairs of the 2020 CCAMLR meeting. Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, Teresa Ribera, became a vocal advocate on Twitter for Antarctic protections.

The campaign also ramped up its public awareness efforts on social media, maximising key international moments like Earth Day, World Penguin Day and World Ocean Day, as well as before, during and following the CCAMLR meeting. It also welcomed a new collaboration with Elite Model, the international modeling agency that was keen to use the power of the voices it represents to help promote the Southern Ocean campaign. Together with Elite and Sea Legacy and

its Only One online platform, we developed a social media campaign, as well as a call to action petition urging world leaders to take action this year. The campaign launched in July and Ocean Unite worked to activate its network of high-level influencers and other groups to promote this campaign. This includes Jason Momoa, the actor who plays Aquaman, and actor and Ocean advocate Leonardo DiCaprio. The team is working on further activation in 2021.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Continue advocacy to encourage high-level engagement

with Russia and China by the MPA proponents France, Germany, the EU, Norway, Australia, Chile and Argentina.

• Develop strong partnerships with other key CCAMLR members, such as the U.S. (given the new Administration), Spain, and the UK (given their role as host of the UNFCCC).

• Support high-level convenings by MPA champions with Russia and China.

• Participation in online and (where possible) in-person high-level events to amplify messages on Southern Ocean protection.

• Expand A2020 Champions group to strengthen strategic focus by identifying and recruiting new U.S., Russian and Chinese champions, among others.

• Increase public awareness through communications efforts, building on the Only One campaign with key partners, including a virtual concert by partners ASOC.

Antarctica2020 Champions Robert Hill, José María Figueres, Geneviève Pons, Pascal Lamy and Lewis Pugh in Brussels at the Antarctica2020 strategy meeting.

ANTARCTICA2020

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 7

Objective:By the end of 2021, at least five Caribbean countries publicly committing to support 30x30 and greater resilience in the region.

Ocean Unite is building a champion group of Caribbean countries supporting 30x30 and greater resilience in the region. This work includes: • Leading the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator’s (CCSA)

Ocean work, including their 30x30 Ocean initiative.

• Driving the Campaign for Nature’s efforts to engage up to five Caribbean countries to support 30x30 and advocating for others to do the same.

• Working with the Blue Prosperity Coalition (BPC) to integrate innovative planning tools, like marine spatial planning, into management approaches.

To help inform Ocean Unite’s strategic engagement in the region, we developed a seascape analysis in the first part of the year, calling on our knowledge of and relationships with key governments, regional organizations and stakeholders to highlight opportunities for our most impactful engagement.

In January 2020, the second UltraMarine Ocean Action Summit on Necker Island in the BVI focused on 30x30, hosted by professional kiteboarder Susi Mai and artist and entrepreneur Jeremy McKane, with content led by Ocean Unite. The meeting brought together more than 50 activists from business, science, arts, and entertainment, the BVI Minister of Natural Resources and other key BVI officials, as well as Ocean Unite Network (OUN) members including Sir Richard Branson, Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau, José María Figueres, Danni Washington, and special guest, Mrs. Debbie Remengesau, the First Lady of Palau.

As a result of the meeting, there was increased interest among BVI officials to accelerate protection of their waters. An email

follow up by Sir Richard Branson and further on-the-ground work by Ocean Unite in the BVI resulted in the Minister of Natural Resources committing to 30x30. Ocean Unite is assisting with developing a draft potential MOU to support engagement between the Blue Prosperity Coalition and the BVI.

Ocean Unite developed a formal partnership with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) to support its 30x30 objectives in the Caribbean. The CBF supports MPA financing and management in the Caribbean. It has partnered with the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI), an aspirational declaration signed by nine governments in 2013 to protect at least 20% of their coastal and marine resources by 2020. Ocean Unite was an organizer and sponsor of July’s CCI-CBF Virtual Regional Meeting, a Ministerial gathering of governments and key partners to support collective enhanced efforts on MPAs post-2020. This included facilitating a video message by Sir Richard Branson to the meeting participants, congratulating the Caribbean on its leadership and encouraging further ambition, including 30x30.

Alongside this meeting, Ocean Unite also co-led a virtual partnerships sessions bringing together key regional and international partners to support a dialogue on the role of partnerships in advancing 30x30 in the region. Participants committed to continue to work on 30x30, with the possibility of developing a longer-term roadmap on how to increase Ocean protection in the region via a high-level meeting in early 2021. Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Continue engaging with 5+ Caribbean governments to drive

commitments to 30x30 in their own waters.

• Work closely with partners CBF, CCSA, Unite BVI, Blue Prosperity Coalition, Blue Nature Alliance, and others.

• Convene a high-level ministerial meeting on 30x30.

• Provide political support and engagement for 30x30 by Caribbean countries at the CBD and for a robust High Seas biodiversity treaty at the UN.

• Enhance communication and outreach to amplify key Caribbean voices supporting 30x30, as well as cementing Ocean Unite as a key player in the region.

Discussion on protecting the BVI at the Ultramarine Summit, including Sir Richard Branson and BVI Minister for Natural Resources Vincent Wheatley.

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Conducted detailed seascape analysis to guide strategic

engagement in the region. • Advanced efforts to formally secure a commitment to

30x30 in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).• Engaged 5+ Caribbean ministers in discussions to commit

to 30x30 regionally and internationally.• Organized, sponsored and participated in the Caribbean

Challenge Initiative-Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CCI-CBF) Virtual Meeting in July, and convened a special partnerships meeting.

• Content lead for UltraMarine Ocean Action Summit on 30x30 at Necker in January and virtual UltraMarine LIVE event featuring five Caribbean governments.

• Developed a partnership with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, the Caribbean Challenge Initiative and cemented collaboration on 30x30 with the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator.

Caribbean

Ocean Unite 2020 Report8

Objective:Increase the level of Ocean protection in South Africa and advocate for 30x30.

Ocean Unite works in partnership with WildOceans, a South African non-profit, on its Ocean iMPAct Project, which is seeking to double the total area of South African continental waters protected in MPAs to at least 10% by 2020 and paving the way for national support for 30x30 at home and internationally. In January, Ocean Unite facilitated the participation of actor and Ocean Unite Network member Shailene Woodley to help the WildOceans campaign, working with their Youth4MPAs initiative, which resulted in a video the campaign used on its social media channels and widespread local media attention.

In early March, Karen Sack spoke at the launch of the WildOceans Shark Conservation campaign, introducing

local hero, “Sharkboy”, Achmat Hassiem, a South African Paralympian gold medal winner who had his leg bitten off by a Great White shark and now works for Ocean conservation efforts. He is now actively engaged in the campaign. We also supported strategic planning exercises and helped convene and attend meetings with the Minister of Environment, the Director General of the Department and four Deputy Director Generals working on Ocean conservation, fisheries, monitoring and enforcement. Ocean Unite also used the opportunity to introduce the work of Global Fishing Watch to South Africa through their CEO, Tony Long.

In June, we facilitated South African youth leader, Ruth Mthembu, speaking at the WEF Virtual Ocean Dialogues. Ocean Unite also provides ongoing strategic support and advice to the campaign, including help integrating the campaign with various international initiatives such as RISE UP and the global 30x30 campaign, building African champions, and participating in regional strategy development and implementation with representatives of the Campaign for Nature, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceans 5, and Global Fishing Watch.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Provide ongoing strategic advice and support for

WildOceans’ efforts to reach the goal of protecting at least 10% of South Africa’s continental waters.

• Provide continued political and communications support for South Africa to become a 30x30 champion.

Actor and Ocean Unite Network member Shailene Woodley working with WildOceans and the Youth4MPAs group in support of 30x30.

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Activated Ocean Unite Network member Shailene

Woodley with South African youth.• Launched WildOceans’ Sharks campaign.• Provided high-level political engagement and strategic

support.• Introduced Global Fishing Watch to South African

officials and potential partners.

South Africa

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 9

Objective:Enable the establishment of the Maldives Coral Institute (MCI) and support the Blue Prosperity Coalition in the delivery of the marine spatial plan for the Maldives.

Ocean Unite is working in the Maldives as part of our partnership with the Waitt Foundation and the Blue Prosperity Coalition (BPC), and through work initiated by former President Mohamed Nasheed, an Ocean Unite Network member, and Virgin Unite to establish a coral resilience center of excellence in this Indian Ocean coral archipelago. In September 2019, the Republic of Maldives committed to fully protect at least 20% of its Ocean waters, and to sustainably build its Ocean economy. Since that time, Ocean Unite has been liaising with the team from the Waitt Institute, who are progressing the marine spatial planning of the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on behalf of the BPC. We have also facilitated relationship

building with representatives of the International Pole and Line Foundation to help ensure that the marine spatial planning yields both conservation and fisheries benefits.

In February 2020, Ocean Unite helped to publicly launch the Marine Coral Institute (MCI) with a workshop and one-day coral festival held in the Maldives. Ocean Unite has worked to help set up the Institute, introduce world class marine scientists as advisors, and provide weekly input into its development and possible pilot projects. This includes helping with raising the profile of the MCI, connecting it to other organizations and initiatives, including The Explorers Club World Ocean Day virtual discussions, the World Surf League and RISE UP, and supporting the professionalization of its fundraising operation.

Ocean Unite helped organize a virtual webinar in September 2020, showcasing some of the initial research undertaken by the MCI. More recently, Ocean Unite and the MCI received an initial piece of research by New York University’s law clinic on various global, regional and national frameworks for coral protection, which complements the work of the Waitt Institute on existing relevant regulations in the Maldives. Taken together, we expect these two pieces of work will help inform how to improve the national laws regarding corals.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Provide continued strategic advice and counsel to the MCI

and former President Nasheed.

• Assist in amplifying MCI’s work and boosting fundraising efforts.

• Provide ongoing support of Waitt Foundation/BPC project.

Mohamed Nasheed, Maldives Speaker of the House, talks about the importance of reefs with students at the Maldives Coral Festival in February 2020.

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Agreed MCI mission and work plan, finalized pitch

materials and launched Institute’s fundraising campaign.• Public launch of MCI with expert workshop and public

Coral Festival.• Helped deliver virtual webinar showcasing results from

first MCI research projects.• Delivered initial research to inform how to improve

national laws on corals.• Investigated opportunities to help the Maldives with

monitoring and enforcement including with the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPLF) and Global Fishing Watch.

Maldives

Ocean Unite 2020 Report10

Objective:Increase awareness of the importance and urgency of 30x30 through public communications.

At the end of 2019, Ocean Unite launched the #Love30x30 call to action, a new Ocean Unite 30×30 webpage, and a map to showcase inspiring initiatives underway that should be supported to help achieve 30x30. This was coordinated with the presentation of The Chatham House Prize to Sir David Attenborough and the BBC, and included a panel moderated by Karen Sack as well as keynote speeches by Shailene Woodley and Karen at the post-prize dinner. This was followed by #Love30x30 being the key message at the Necker Cup tennis event, with tennis stars from around the world celebrating the need to protect the Ocean.

Throughout 2020, we pushed our #Love30x30 vision, including through the #Love30x30 video, on multiple platforms and media outlets, and aided by organizations with large follower bases.Our Network leaders activated their social media accounts and participated in numerous (virtual) events. The hashtag #Love30x30 showed 47.9 million impressions for the period from January 1, 2020 to the end of November, with a monthly average of 3 million impressions, and activity peaks around key events. Our digital content focus expanded as the world went virtual.

Blogsincluded:• A piece by Ruth Mthembu, Youth Spokesperson for WildOceans’

Ocean iMPAct Campaign, on protecting the South African Ocean, which gave the #Love30x30 vision a local perspective.

• An International Women’s Day blog, in which OneOcean crew member Natalie Hart gave a big shout out to the #Love30x30 message.

• A blog about RISE UP, in which OU’s Karen Sack discussed the key actions that need to happen to protect the Ocean, including 30x30.

• A World Ocean Day blog by Heather Zichal of the BPC, in which she mentioned the importance that reaching the 30x30 target has for the Blue Economy.

• A RISE UP blog by Environmental Justice Foundation’s executive director Steve Trent, about uniting for stronger global governance.

• A RISE UP blog by surfer and WSL PURE ambassador Adrian Buchan, who discussed RISE UP’s sixth principle related to 30x30.

As always, World Ocean Day on June 8 represented a key moment in time for pushing campaign content. This year, in addition to promoting the blog and the 30x30 film, we also had two important opinion pieces: one written by new Network member, EU Commissioner Sinkevičius, for EURACTIV; and the second written by Karen Sack for the UN Chronicle. On World Ocean Day, as well as an interview with Karen Sack for Chatham House, Ocean Unite hosted a webinar alongside Credit Suisse and Responsible Investor featuring world-leading scientist, Callum Roberts, the EU Commissioner, and Marissa Drew, underscoring the ambition of protecting 30% of the Ocean by 2030 and the need to invest in nature. Over 1200 people watched the session. Credit Suisse also published an interview with Karen Sack and José María Figueres. As part of our focus on engaging the financial sector, we also participated in webinars with Morgan Stanley and UNEP-FI. In November, Karen participated in a focused Ocean dialogue organized by Deutsche Bank Wealth Management along with Ocean Unite Network leaders Julie Packard and Maria Damanaki, world renowned scientist Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, and Deutsche Bank International Private Bank Chief Investment Officer, Christian Nolting. Deutsche Bank’s Global Head of Wealth Management, Claudio de Sanctis, facilitated the discussion.

Ocean Unite also continued to send out its highly regarded monthly newsletter The Navigator, reporting on the latest Ocean news, updates on events and decision points, reports and trends. The Navigator provides a global overview of what has happened and what is about to happen in the international Ocean world, as well as a list of the latest reports and resources for practitioners. It goes out to more than 4.3K subscribers from the worlds of politics, civil society, business and media. We also produce the monthly Ocean Unite Network Brief, a more tailored version of the newsletter specifically for the Ocean Unite Network.

#LOVE30x30: Awareness Raising and Communications

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Ran a #Love30x30 Ocean blog series with Virgin Unite

which reached a potential global audience of 17 million individual users on virgin.com and 25 million individual users on virgin.com’s social channels.

• Promoted the #Love30x30 video with Sir David Attenborough, Shailene Woodley, Sir Richard Branson and voices from around the world.

• Engaged in social media activities on 30x30 with over 48 million impressions.

• Distributed Ocean Unite’s monthly The Navigator newsletter to over 4000 Ocean practitioners around the world.

• Produced the monthly Ocean Unite Network Brief.• Engaged in multiple in person and virtual events and

specialist Ocean advocacy.

#Love30x30 Video with voices from around the world.

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 11

The Ocean Unite Network (OUN) – now numbering 40 leading influencers – sits at the core of all our work. Launched in 2017 at The Economist’s World Ocean Summit, the OUN is a diverse and unexpected group of influencers, innovators, leaders and disruptors from around the world forming a loose network to help drive change. With the support of Ocean Unite’s experienced team of policy, communications, campaign and engagement specialists, the OUN uses a unique mix of soft diplomacy behind closed doors, social media, speeches, meetings, open letters, op-eds and blogs to help publicize and build awareness about the state of the Ocean, the key challenges it faces, and solutions needed to restore and revitalize it. The value of this Network is evident in all the work that we have been undertaking this year, helping to deliver key messages at key moments for Ocean conservation.

For example, on September 16, Ocean Unite and its Network members Danni Washington, Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau and José María Figueres, together with Karen Sack, were part of the Ocean Race Summit #3 that took place both online and in Newport, U.S. The aim of the Summit was to shine a light on Ocean health, and through leading voices in the Ocean world to discuss collaborative solutions that restore Ocean health and abundance, such as MPAs, the role of science and blue technologies. The meeting was an excellent opportunity to further deepen Ocean Unite’s relationship with the Ocean Race organizers, following participation by Programme Director

Nathalie Rey in the Ocean Race Summit #2 in May. It was also an effective platform for the OUN members to reinforce Ocean Unite’s key priorities regarding 30x30 and Antarctic marine protection, encouraging participants to take the bold and ambitious action needed to protect the Ocean.

In April, Ocean Unite was delighted to announce that Virginijus Sinkevičius, the current Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries at the European Commission, joined the OUN. The Commissioner is a strong Ocean advocate for 30x30, Southern Ocean MPAs, and the need for a strong High Seas treaty.

Ocean Unite Network

Ocean Unite 2020 Report12

Objective:Create a movement for the Ocean that increases awareness and accelerates change to achieve RISE UP goals through strategic engagement of the RISE UP network at key moments.

Launched in February 2020, RISE UP is a first-ever joint call to action by a broad swathe of civil society, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, businesses and philanthropic organizations on the need for bold action to safeguard the Ocean. Its call is to Restore Ocean life; Invest in a net-zero carbon future; Speed the transition to a circular and sustainable economy; Empower and support coastal people; Unite for stronger global Ocean governance; and Protect at least 30% of the Ocean by 2030.

Originally established as a campaign to raise the level of government ambition for action at the UN Ocean Conference scheduled to take place in June 2020 in Lisbon, Ocean Unite and co-leaders Oceano Azul Foundation and the Oak Foundation have transformed the willingness of a few into an agreed global agenda for the Ocean, with the number of signatories growing daily. As of the end of November, the number of sign-ons has reached over 450 organizations.

After a year of preparatory work, RISE UP was formally launched on February 5, 2020 to coincide with the start of the UN Ocean Conference preparatory meeting in New York. This included the launch of its website and a communications toolkit. RISE UP was introduced to government delegates through a formal intervention from the floor delivered by Ocean Unite and at a side event, and was included on the panel at the official press conference. The team of RISE UP partners in New York also presented RISE UP to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and discussed the pressing Ocean crisis with him. Ocean Unite coordinated a UN Press Briefing and distributed the press release to targeted media. The resulting coverage was positive and on message: Governments urged to take bold action to safeguard Ocean and 2020: the year for action, to ‘RISE UP’ and safeguard Ocean life.

With the UN Ocean Conference set to take place in June 2020 in Lisbon postponed, we decided to use the time to go digital and to engage more fully with the growing number of signees. Ocean Unite coordinated a series of RISE UP blogs on the Virgin Unite platform with each blog focused on one of the letters/goals that make up RISE UP and demonstrates the broad diversity of the RISE UP community. In the second half of the year, we undertook a seascape analysis to determine the focus, strategy, key moments, resources, coordination and leadership for RISE UP’s next phase. 123 organizations provided detailed answers to the questionnaire, an unusually high rate for this kind of survey. A plan for the next two years of RISE UP drawing from these responses is being prepared.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Develop a two-year campaign plan based on the seascape

analysis.

• Launch Phase 2 of RISE UP based on the objectives uncovered by the seascape analysis.

Alliances Driving Positive Ocean Action

RISE UP founders Karen Sack- Ocean Unite, Tiago Pitta e Cunha- Oceano Azul and Imani Fairweather Morrison-the Oak Foundation, hand over RISE UP to UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Ocean Prep meeting in February 2020.

2020HIGHLIGHTS

• RISE UP prescription for Ocean health drafted and agreed by 27 groups including fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, philanthropies, businesses and conservation organizations.

• Launched at the United Nations in February 2020 during UN Ocean Conference preparatory conference.

• Met with and presented RISE UP to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

• Released communications toolkit and launched website.• RISE UP blog series highlighting unique voices and

smaller organizations.• 450+ sign-ons, and ongoing outreach and engagement

with signatories.• Seascape analysis underway reaching out to signatories

for input to plan Phase 2 of campaign.

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 13

Objectives:By 2030, to create a new marketplace by driving US$500m of investment into innovative and scalable finance products that increase coastal resilience and reduce Ocean risk for the most vulnerable communities around the world. And, by 2025, to have surfaced at least 15 novel finance products forming the foundation of this new marketplace.

Launched in 2019 by Ocean Unite, insurance giant AXA XL and a number of partners, co-hosted by Ocean Unite and the Global Resilience Partnership (ORRAA) housed at Stockholm University, and with core financial support from the Government of Canada, the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance is a multi-sector collaboration designed to drive investment into coastal natural capital by pioneering ground-breaking finance products that incentivize blended finance and private investment into the

regions and communities that need it most. The Alliance is helping to raise awareness and understanding of Ocean risk and its impacts, identify innovative finance solutions and help bring them to market, showing that investment in nature-based solutions is good for people, businesses and our blue planet.

While 2020 posed myriad challenges, it was also an exciting opportunity to move forward apace with the Alliance’s work, building forward better and bluer.

ORRAA welcomed five new members and eight project delivery partners in 2020 from civil society, philanthropy, academia and the private sector. New members are Conservation International, Greensquare Ventures, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Swiss Re, and WWF International. New project delivery partners are Global Fishing Watch, IHE Delft Institute, Mesoamerican Reef Fund, Oceana, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, The Stimson Center, Trygg Mat Tracking, and the University of California Santa Cruz.

Karen Sack participated on behalf of ORRAA in the online UN Climate Week in September, presenting an overview on why nature-based solutions are so important for adaptation to climate change.

Karen Sack was joined by finance heavy hitters on a panel organized by the UNEP Finance Initiative regarding financing ocean protection.

The launch of the Innovation Challenge.

2020HIGHLIGHTS• Established ORRAA’s secretariat – comprised of Ocean

Unite, AXA XL and the Global Resilience Partnership – to administer the organization and facilitate delivery of objectives.

• Secured US$2m in seed-funding from the Government of Canada for the first year of work.

• Invested in six innovative and scalable pilots to grow finance product pipeline.

• Launched innovation challenge.• Participated in numerous events to showcase ORRAA’s

leadership in this field, its partnerships and innovation.• Additional projects in the pipeline on mitigating

nutrient and sewage pollution as risk multipliers, insuring against IUU Fishing, Protected Areas Insurance, and Coastal Resilience Bonds.

oceanriskalliance.org | #OceanRisk

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ORRAAinvestedinsixprojectstogrowtheproductpipeline:• Developing the Coastal Risk Index, a risk transfer

mechanism for vulnerable coastal ecosystems and communities.

• Understanding the risk landscape of coral reefs.

• Understanding Ocean-derived risks facing coastal communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

• Addressing the gender dimension of Ocean risk exposure in SIDS and LDCs.

• Assessing emerging opportunities and risks for SIDS and LDCs from the growing blue economy.

• Strengthening the financial resilience of small-scale fishers in the Philippines.

ORRAA was also selected as a project at 2020’s Paris Peace Forum (PPF) in November as one of 100 projects to be showcased from a record 850 submissions. The PPF has been designed to foster multilateralism and collaboration, advancing solutions on the environment, health, climate, security and development. This year it is also focused on Covid-19 impacts and how to “bounce back to a better planet”.

Lookingaheadto2021,OceanUnitewill:• Work to secure ongoing funding from at least two governments

as well as at least one philanthropy for the Alliance.

• Continue its role as co-chair and co-host for the Alliance, engaging in speaking events and in leadership roles placing Ocean Unite as a leading voice on innovative financing for Ocean/coastal nature-based solutions globally.

• Co-lead on the development of ORRAA’s longer-term organizational plan and impact fund.

• Work on the three outcomes on the ‘Insuring against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing’ project, in collaboration with Global Fishing Watch.

Ocean Unite hosted a webinar on World Ocean Day with Credit Suisse and Responsible Investor underscoring the importance of 30x30 and investing in nature.

PROJECTSOceanUniteisplayingaleadingroleinthedevelopmentofaprojectfocusedonleveragingtheinsuranceindustrytoreduceIUUfishing.The project brings together different AXA entities, Global Fishing Watch, Trygg Mat Tracking and Oceana, with a longer-term aim of engaging other insurance industry partners. The aim is to develop a framework to identify vessels at risk of conducting IUU fishing before they are insured, shifting the economic incentives away from engaging in IUU fishing. The project builds on the Risk Assessment Guidelines that Oceana released in 2019 as well as the 2017 Insurance Industry Statement Against IUU Fishing.

oceanriskalliance.org | #OceanRisk

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 15

Organizational Highlights

In this year, Ocean Unite’s second as a U.S. tax-exempt organization, we continued to put in place systems and structures to support good governance and compliance, including new policies and procedures related to ethics, anti-corruption, safeguarding, anti-harassment and capitalization. Our Board of Directors approved a formal donation acceptance policy. We also conducted our first internal audit.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Virgin Unite for incubating Ocean Unite and for its ongoing financial support now that we are an independent entity. We are pleased to be continuing to work closely with them and with Sir Richard Branson and his advocacy team on Ocean issues.

Our work would not be possible without the partnership and collaboration of all of our colleagues and friends working across the global Ocean community who inspire and engage us in our work every day. Thank you.

We are also especially grateful to the members of our Board of Directors, who have provided extraordinary leadership during this tumultuous year. In particular, we want to thank them for their willingness to review and approve the organizational budget multiple times, in response to funding that de-materialized, new grants won, moratoriums on travel and ramped up communications to reach an audience that was suddenly stuck at home:

• José María Figueres, Chairman

• C. Wolcott Henry, Treasurer

• Jean Oelwang

• Lisa Speer, Secretary

KAREN SACKPresident & CEO

NATHALIE REYProgramme Director

KAREN ANCILLAIPartnerships Lead

RICHARD PAGEPolicy Specialist

SAFIYA SAWNEYCaribbean Specialist

SOPHIE HULMECommunications Lead

BRITTNEY FRANCISDigital & Social Media Manager

CAMILA CUADROS CRUZCommunications Manager

JON BASSFORDOperations Lead

OceanUnite’steamofexpertshashadall-handsondeckthisyeartoachieveourdesiredimpact:

Ocean Unite 2020 Report16

Our Funders

OceanUniteisgratefultothefollowingfunderswhoprovidedsignificantsupportforour2020work:• Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition

• Biological Diversity Project, a project of the Resources Legacy Fund

• Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation

• José María Figueres

• Global Fishing Watch

• C. Wolcott Henry

• Henry Foundation

• The Ocean Foundation

• Oceano Azul Foundation

• Planet Heritage

• Pew Charitable Trusts

• Lisa Speer

• Stockholm University

• Summit Charitable Foundation

• WWF Australia

• Waitt Foundation

• Wildlands Conservation Trust

• UltraMarine Ocean Action Summit

• Virgin Unite

• Virgin Voyages

Wearealsopleasedtorecognizeourcommercialco-venturepartners,allofwhomarecommittedtosupportingour30x30goal:• Canada’s 36Pix, which provides the world’s best green

screen software for creating perfect images, is donating a portion of its sales to Ocean Unite.

• Guardian of the Ocean, Finnish makers of jewelry that gives back is donating a portion of sales from each piece from its collection to Ocean Unite.

• Texas-based Qualitas Health is donating a portion of sales from iWi, algae-based nutrition that is good for every living thing, to Ocean Unite.

Ocean Unite 2020 Report 17

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