leadingwomenfortheocean

The 80th UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC created a global hub for discussions on peace, cooperation, and sustainable development. Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that “international cooperation is not naïveté, but realism. In a world where threats cross borders, isolation is an illusion.” He underlined that no country can face a pandemic or the [...]

In the western Antarctic Peninsula, whales, penguins and seals in their millions depend on krill throughout the year. In the most rapidly warming region on the continent, they are now facing an additional - and unprecedented - threat. For the first time in 15 years, industrial vessels may undertake increased and more concentrated fishing for [...]

Can nuclear power become the game-changer in decarbonizing commercial shipping? With unmatched energy density, zero operational greenhouse gas emissions, and long refueling intervals, nuclear propulsion, particularly through Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Floating Nuclear Power Plants (FNPPs), offers capabilities far beyond conventional and alternative fuels. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies consistently demonstrate nuclear’s superior carbon [...]

On March 2023, I attended an online discussion organized by the United Nations for International Women's Day. There, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shocked us by saying that it would take around 300 years to achieve gender equality. That’s how long it was estimated. This information truly shocked me. Having worked for many years on empowering women's [...]

As ocean temperatures rise, coral reefs bleach, and marine biodiversity faces unprecedented threats, the urgency to act has never been greater.  This is underscored by the ongoing Fourth Mass Global Bleaching Event, the most severe and widespread on record, representing a critical warning. The ocean is changing - faster than ever before and to match [...]

As we look ahead to the coming months, the Leading Women for the Ocean (LWO) network is preparing to engage in a series of pivotal global events that will shape the future of ocean governance and the blue economy. These gatherings offer unique opportunities for women leaders to assert their influence, advocate for gender-inclusive policies, [...]

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity will be hosted by Armenia next year.“There's a lot of unfinished work following COP16 2.0 in order to affect change, and it's important that all voices are included in next year's negotiations.” Listen to the "EVN Talks" Podcast:  https://evnreport.com/podcasts/evn-talks/ahead-of-cop17-a-to-do-list/ [...]

The Mediterranean Sea, although relatively small in size compared to the oceans, and especially the Eastern Mediterranean, is an area of intense scientific and geopolitical activity and accordingly hosts a particularly active fleet of research vessels from various countries. This is due to its geopolitical dimension including energy resources, the presence of seismic faults and [...]

Aspasia Pastra, Assistant Professor at the World Maritime University-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute and member of LWO-along with Tafsir Matin Johansson, Frank Muller-Karger and Joana Soares - published an outstanding academic article titled 'The use of emerging autonomous technologies for ocean monitoring: insights and legal challenges' which has been published in Frontiers in Marine Science: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1561737/full [...]

The event took place in New York, marking another milestone: the30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. March, the month associated with International Women's Day, is coming to an end, and we have heard little or nothing about the big annual meeting at the United Nations. Specifically, on March 26, 2025, in [...]