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 [...]
On Friday, June 27, NOVA University Lisbon awarded Maria Damanaki, former European Commissioner, for her work in favor of sustainability and protection of the oceans and defense of women's rights. The doctor honoris causa ceremony took place in an atmosphere of great joy and emotion, among friends and academics. The ceremony was honored with the presence [...]
Vera Alexandropoulou, was at the “heart” of international developments for the oceans at #UNOC3, where she had the opportunity to follow closely the announcements on the New #EuropeanOceanPact, as well as the commitments made by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the legal process for the creation of two new national marine parks in [...]
The EU has long needed an Ocean Pact; this is certainly not new. What’s new is the urgent need to align ocean protection with economic competitiveness. We must break the false dilemma that protecting the ocean means hindering progress. It’s not either-or - it’s both. With Europe’s blue economy generating €250 billion a year and [...]
Nice, France – June 10, 2025 – Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative hosted a pivotal panel discussion at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, titled: “The Crucial Role of Technology to Restore Ocean Health.” Aspasia Pastra, Assistant Professor at World Maritime University, member of LWO, joined fellow experts on the panel to [...]
Zefi Dimadama, Lecturer, Panteion University Athens, f. Secretary General for Equality of Greece, Member of the Global Women Network “Leading Women for Oceans” joined the UNOC WAO event in Nice on June 8th. The event enriched discussions and shaped new approaches for promoting concrete actions for the ocean. Women Actions for the Ocean, as a [...]
The “Women in the Blue Economy” report is an international research effort led by NOVA School of Law, Leading Women for the Ocean and partners from Cape Verde and Japan. It spotlights the under-recognised contributions of women in ocean sectors, including small-scale fisheries and shipping, and proposes evidence-based policy recommendations for inclusion and empowerment. [...]
