16 September 2025
Welcome to a Special Issue of the Global Ocean Forum’s Ocean & Climate News focused on the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. The Global Ocean Forum is thrilled to return as the lead organizer for the fifth edition of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion (3 to 21 November) in close partnership with Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the co-founder of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion, and a new co-organizer, Ocean Generation. With support from lead partner Lloyd’s Register and Lloyd’s Register Foundation and a wide range of collaborators from around the world, this year’s Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be held in alignment with the UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil (10 to 21 November 2025).
Interested in supporting the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion? The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion co-organizers are accepting Expressions of Interest from potential partners until 30 September 2025. We welcome new ideas and creative input to help enhance the Virtual Ocean Pavilion going forward.
UNFCCC COP30
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is made up of about 200 Parties. These Parties convene yearly to review progress, negotiate international agreements, and make decisions to help combat climate change during the COP or UN Climate Change Conference. This year will mark the 30th iteration of UNFCCC COPs, and the UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Belém, Brazil from 10 to 21 November 2025 (COP30).
COP30 Thematic Program
The COP30 Presidency, led by the COP30 President-designate Ambassador Andrê Aranha Corrêa do Lago, has unveiled the COP30 Thematic Program. The program includes more than 30 interconnected themes designed to encourage global actors to contribute to real-world climate solutions. Notably, the Ocean will be highlighted on 17 and 18 November. Engagement and outreach for the ocean sector at COP30 will be led by the Special Envoy for the Ocean, Dr. Marinez Scherer. The full schedule of the thematic days is available here.
The COP30 Presidency has released this year’s priorities that aim to work together to finance developing country Parties for climate action by 2035, advance the Paris Agreement cycle and address issues in the UAE dialogue, develop a work plan by the Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB) about designing holistic investment, and advancing the Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T. The President-designate further highlighted the need to collaborate and deliver results in the fight against climate change (SDG Knowledge Hub, 2025).
About the Virtual Ocean Pavilion
The Virtual Ocean Pavilion is a free, online platform dedicated to raising the visibility of the ocean and showcasing why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. First introduced during COP26, this year’s Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be the fifth annual edition of this valuable platform.
Building on the momentum of past Virtual Ocean Pavilions (COP29, COP28, COP27, and COP26), the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will continue to:
- Raise the profile of the ocean among members of the ocean and climate community and the public;
- Provide a communication platform for those who are unable to participate in COP30 in person from various parts of the world;
- Address COP30 priorities while promoting the incorporation of the ocean into UNFCCC processes; and
- Encourage cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration on ocean-climate action at the national, regional, and global levels.
Join the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion
The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be held from 3 to 21 November 2025 with an additional period of on-demand access from 22 November to 22 December 2025. Registration is free and open to all.
In addition to the traditional Pavilion aims, this year’s Pavilion will also highlight key focal areas such as:
- Collaborative initiatives involving the three Rio Conventions (the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) to promote the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus;
- National and regional action focusing on the ratification of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the opportunities it provides to explore the mitigation and adaptation potential of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ);
- The outcomes of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), including those that call for leveraging ocean, climate, and biodiversity interlinkages;
- The outcomes of the 2025 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue; and
- The Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) theme for Oceans and Coastal Zones as a key pathway for integrating the ocean into global climate action by promoting ocean-based climate solutions and fostering international collaboration to achieve a net-zero, resilient future by 2050.
COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Features
Aligned Key Messaging
Key messages emanating from the COP30 Presidency, High-Level Climate Change Champions, Ocean Breakthroughs and other Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) initiatives, the 2025 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, and the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) will be formulated and promoted through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Communications INC and collaborating partners of the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will lead the crafting of these messages, which will be the focus of live events and roundtables. All attendees are encouraged to review, reflect, and react to the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion key messages. Continued dialogue among attendees and partners and sharing of the messaging with wider audiences is welcome.
Live Events
The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will once again offer a series of live events featuring eminent high-level speakers from national, regional, intergovernmental, and civil society organizations, ocean and climate experts, and youth leaders from around the world. The events will address the Pavilion aims through dialogues incorporating science, finance, partnership and capacity building, public education, and collaboration with a focus on strengthening ocean and climate action as well as securing a place for the ocean in the climate negotiations.
Live events will be organized on 3, 10, 14, 17, 18, 19, and 20 November in close collaboration with COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion partners. This year, the Pavilion will once again offer Wordly translation for all live events, allowing attendees to translate the presentations and discussions into over 60 languages. Recordings of live events from past Virtual Ocean Pavilions are available on the Global Ocean Forum’s YouTube channel.
Launch of the 2024-2025 ROCA Report
The 2024-2025 Report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action (ROCA Report) will be launched during a 90-minute live event during the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. This biennial report provides an assessment of ocean and climate science, policy, and action through contributions of over 50 co-authors from organizations around the world. Following its last publication in 2023, this volume will include a new section on ocean-based solutions to mitigation and adaptation issues successfully adopted and reported within the years covered by the report.
Exhibition Hall
Up to 12 ocean exhibition booths will be organized by leading ocean and climate organizations to showcase new and ongoing ocean-climate-biodiversity initiatives. All Pavilion attendees will be able to visit these virtual booths and access a wealth of information that can be ‘taken away’ in a virtual delegate bag via email. Archived exhibits from past Virtual Ocean Pavilions are available here.
New Permanent Exhibit: The Ocean in the UNFCCC
A new permanent exhibit on “The Ocean in the UNFCCC” will be introduced during the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion in partnership with the Ocean and Climate Platform and The Nature Conservancy, among other collaborators. This permanent exhibit will showcase the history of how the ocean has been integrated into the UNFCCC, where we are at now, and what to look forward to in the future. Reports from the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, information on the Ocean and Coastal Zones thematic activities from the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA), ocean breakthroughs and ocean-related initiatives of the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, and links to information on UNFCCC processes that are relevant to the ocean will all be displayed. The intent of this new exhibit is to showcase exactly how the oceans are included in these processes.
Roundtable Discussions
After a successful launch during the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion, roundtable discussions are returning to the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Roundtable discussions will be held during the live days of the Pavilion and will provide smaller, more intimate spaces where ideas on how to promote the key messages and address other ocean-climate-biodiversity themes will be equally exchanged by participants. Recordings of past roundtable discussions from the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion are available here.
Youth-Led Interviews
This year, we are excited to again showcase youth-led interviews, highlighting the voices, innovations, and leadership of young ocean advocates from around the world. These interviews provide youth representatives with the opportunity to engage in discourse with experts and negotiators on ocean-climate issues of utmost importance to current and future generations. Recordings of past interviews from the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion are available here.
Treasure Trove
The Treasure Trove is prepared daily by the Pavilion secretariat and includes the latest updates on ocean and climate happenings in and around COP30. Peruse this valuable resource to find spotlights on our interactive exhibit booths, highlights of upcoming Pavilion and COP30 events, stories from the sea, trivia, and other exciting highlights from this year’s COP. This year, Ocean Generation will be leading the Treasure Trove development with a special focus on youth activities in the ocean and climate space. Archived editions from past Virtual Ocean Pavilions are available here.
Register for the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion
This year, the Pavilion Team is focused on increasing participation and interaction at the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. We invite you and your networks to register today and would greatly appreciate your support in amplifying its reach by sharing the Pavilion through your own networks of colleagues, classmates, friends, and family.
Collaborate with the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion
We look forward to welcoming old and new collaborating partners for the fifth iteration of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion at COP30 and are always open to additional collaborators. The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Co-organizers invite Expressions of Interest for the organization of live events, exhibits, roundtable discussions, and sponsorships. Expressions of Interest are due by 30 September 2025. We welcome new ideas and creative input to help enhance the Virtual Ocean Pavilion going forward.
COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Partners
The Virtual Ocean Pavilion has been supported by over 50 collaborating organizations since its COP26 inception. This year’s Pavilion is once again supported by organizations at the forefront of global, regional, national, and local efforts to promote sustainable ocean and climate initiatives.
The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Team is grateful for the support of its current partners, listed below. Additional partnerships are always welcome, and any organizations interested in supporting the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion are invited to submit Expressions of Interest for the organization of live events, exhibits, roundtable discussions, and sponsorships. Expressions of Interest are due by 30 September 2025.
Co-organizers
Lead Partner
Convening Partners
- National Oceanography Centre, UK
- Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan TBC
- Nia Tero TBC
Regional Convening Partner
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Oceânicas (INPO), Brazil
Collaborating Partners
- Communications INC
- Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI)
- Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
- Ocean & Climate Platform
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Pavilion for People
- International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification
- Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO)
- Monmouth University-Urban Coast Institute
- RISE UP
- International Partnership on MPAs, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Brazil TBC
The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Team
The Global Ocean Forum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory are collaborating once again as co-organizers of the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. This year, we welcome a new co-organizing partner, Ocean Generation, who is supporting the development and promotion of the Pavilion with a focus on youth engagement.
Our COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion team includes Miriam Balgos (Executive Director, Global Ocean Forum), Thecla Keizer (Deputy Head, International Office & International Marketing and Business Development Executive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory), Catie Mitchell (Policy Analyst, Global Ocean Forum), Will Steen (Marine Science Officer, Ocean Generation), Gemma Connell (Youth Engagement Lead, Ocean Generation), Erinn Bell (Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain Ocean and Climate Change Intern, Global Ocean Forum), and Siena Zisa (Joint Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute-Global Ocean Forum Intern).
The event platform for the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will be provided by vFairs.
Prepared by Erinn Bell, Siena Zisa, Catie Mitchell, and Miriam Balgos