Germany backs women’s ocean leadership at UN forum

At the recent UN-hosted High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Germany officially signed onto the Women Ocean Guardians voluntary commitment, becoming the fourth country to join a global movement to elevate coastal women’s leadership in marine conservation and governance.

Germany joins a growing coalition for gender equity in ocean governance

The announcement follows the launch of the initiative at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, where Costa Rica, Grenada and the United Kingdom signed on alongside 20 international organisations – including the German-based Blue Action Fund: one of the world’s largest, multilateral public funders promoting marine conservation and sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities. The commitment outlines bold, concrete steps to embed gender equity across ocean policy and finance.

“Women play a key role in blue economy sectors and help drive forward ocean conservation – and yet their voices far too often go unheard in decision-making processes. Today, I had the great pleasure and privilege of signing, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Women Ocean Guardians’ voluntary commitment to ocean conservation and sustainable blue economies through women’s leadership,” said Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, parliamentary secretary for the environment, in a press release. 

Germany’s endorsement underscores its global leadership on gender equality and marine conservation. In 2023, the country launched a feminist development policy to challenge unequal power structures and uplift women and girls. This latest move builds on that commitment, advancing a more inclusive and resilient approach to ocean governance.

“As a Woman Ocean Guardian, today I celebrate the news that the Government of Germany has signed the Voluntary Commitment. Our Call to Action is being heard, we are being seen, we are unlocking our power, we are making an impact that will contribute to building a better, more resilient tomorrow,” said Karen Perea Ledezma, Afro Descendant community leader and Woman Ocean Guardian from Quibdo-Chocó, Colombia. 

By signing, Germany joins three other governments and 20 organisations in pledging to promote inclusive ocean governance, support women in decision-making roles, expand financing for women-led conservation, build coastal women’s leadership and technical capacity, and improve equity-focused monitoring and accountability.

Since its launch, the Women Ocean Guardians initiative, co-led by WCS and Conservation International, has connected women leaders from 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean already mobilising for structural reform in ocean governance. 

“By signing this commitment, Governments are sending an important signal about the importance of gender equity in ocean conservation,” said Gerald Miles, vice president for strategic development for WCS Global.

New funding to expand women-led marine conservation efforts

At the recent UN Ocean Conference, the Global Environment Facility approved a $3.8 million Women Ocean Guardians project that will support a range of activities including the expansion of the network into Asia and Africa. This investment, the first of its kind targeting exclusively women, represents a significant milestone in scaling the initiative globally and marks a deepened commitment from the GEF to support gender-equitable, nature-positive solutions. The funding will catalyse new collaborations, policy reforms and on-the-ground programming that uplifts women-led conservation across different Large Marine Ecosystems.

WCS acknowledges the generous support of the Thomas L Kempner Jr Foundation and the Global Environment Facility for the Women Ocean Guardians initiative.

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