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When Youth Lead, Our Ocean Wins: World Ocean Day 2025 Set to be Biggest Yet
Youth Around the World Leading the Way for a Healthier Ocean and Future
PROVIDENCE, RI – 15 May 2025 – One the 8th of June, people around the world will come together for World Ocean Day to celebrate our one ocean that connects us all and sustains life on our blue planet. With the ocean, climate, and biodiversity crises more urgent than ever, young leaders worldwide are stepping up, and standing out, as powerful voices for our blue planet. The message is clear: The future belongs to younger generations, and their leadership is essential to build a just and sustainable world.
This year’s World Ocean Day is expected to be the largest and most impactful ever, building on the momentum of thousands of events in 178 countries last year. The United Nations Ocean Conference in France also coincides with World Ocean Day, amplifying the call for action.
A key part of this growing movement is the World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council — a diverse group of 25 young changemakers from 24 countries. These leaders, alongside many other young people around the world, are shaping the future of ocean conservation, climate advocacy and leadership.
“Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow – we are leading today. Our voices, perspectives, and solutions are already reshaping climate discourse. The tools to include us already exist; what’s missing is the consistent will to listen and act. We will continue to speak up, and we will be heard.” — Paulina Slawek, Poland
The World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council, launched in 2016, now includes 148 current members and alumni from 61 countries. These young leaders organize community actions, advocate for policy change, and inspire others to get involved, not just on the 8th of June 8 but year-round.
“Young people deserve to be included in high-level decision making because we bring relevant, lived perspectives, and because those decisions will echo through our lives the longest.” — Amber Pineda, Guam
About World Ocean Day
World Ocean Day highlights the importance of the ocean for life on Earth and the role each of us can play in helping create a healthy ocean.
The ocean is our planet’s life support system—it regulates the climate, produces over half of the oxygen we breathe, powers the global economy, and as the world’s largest ecosystem, it sustains an incredible wealth of biodiversity. The ocean also provides deep cultural, recreational, and spiritual value for people everywhere, whether they live on the coast or far inland.
Officially recognized on the 8th of June each year, World Ocean Day is more than a day – it’s a growing worldwide movement of youth leaders from all sectors uniting for the ocean. It’s also a call for ocean and climate policy action throughout the year. Global coordination of World Ocean Day was launched in 2002 by The Ocean Project. The United Nations has officially recognized the Day since 2008. World Ocean Day now mobilizes youth, NGOs, businesses, aquariums, schools, governments, and more to celebrate and protect our ocean.
WorldOceanDay.org serves as a central hub for free resources, events, and inspiration to help individuals and organizations take action for the ocean and climate year-round. Follow @WorldOceanDay on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Thank you to the generous World Ocean Day 2025 Sponsors who make this all possible!
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One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together