Ocean and Human Rights: One Ocean Equity and the Right to a Healthy, Sustainable Ocean for All

As part of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, IHRB, Rafto and partners convened a roundtable addressing the impact of ocean industries on marginalised coastal communities and the ecosystems on which they depend.

This session explored the critical intersection of human rights, sustainable livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health. Discussions focused on how advocacy around the concept of One Ocean Equity needs to continue building momentum at policy level to protect resilient coastal communities and ecosystems at local and regional levels, ensuring the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all.

Ocean experts and government decision-makers heard lessons from ocean defenders from Nigeria, India and elsewhere on widespread abuses by ocean industries in the Niger Delta and Kerala, South India, on key challenges facing these affected communities and the importance of concrete progress towards leadership in risk mitigation strategies and collective action to support rights and resilience in these communities.

Speakers included Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, Astrid Puentes, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Marit Warncke, Mayor of Bergen,  Peter Haugan, Director of Policy at the Institute of Marine Research and Lead Expert of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (Nigeria) and Johnson Jament, Executive Director of BlueGreen Coastal Resource Centre (India). 

Nnimmo Bassey: “Decades of ocean pollution from the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta have killed our mangroves, our fish, our communities’ livelihoods. And now the major international oil companies are selling assets to Nigerian companies which often have even lower environmental standards and less accountability. The international and local companies must be held accountable for their environmental and human rights abuses. We need more leadership and collective action to see any positive change at scale.”

Johnson Jament: “Indigenous artisanal fishers from my community in Kerala are dealing with increasing climate, environmental and human rights challenges simultaneously. Ocean scientists need to learn from indigenous fisher folk who have a deep knowledge of the effects of climate change and industrial action on the marine ecosystems and fish migration. Industrial fishing trawlers have devastated the seabed and seriously reduced fish stocks. The construction of Adani’s Vizhinjam superport has changed coastal erosion patterns and destroyed ecosystems. A massive MSC container ship capsized on 24 May 2025, shedding 640 containers of which 12 contained deadly calcium carbide. No comment has been made by MSC (up to &7 June). No-one is claiming responsibility. Our livelihoods and ecosystems are being destroyed, and we have no voice to hold those responsible to account.’

Marit Warncke: "The challenges with the climate and the rising sea level cannot be solved alone. It requires cooperation beyond borders — cities, regions and countries with their civil society and technology developers must be involved."

Astrid Puentes, Vidar Helgesen and others stressed:

• The importance of bringing the voice of ocean defenders and communities most impacted by climate warming, sea level rise, pollution and ecosystem destruction into discussions with policy makers. 
• The ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and the precautionary principle are not adequately enforced to prevent further ecosystem degradation and the threat to livelihoods. The risks of potential future deep-sea mining on coastal communities hasn’t begun to be considered yet.
• The need for greater urgency in breaking down silos between environment, climate and human rights in the sustainable ocean arena. 
• Ocean science needs to include social science, indigenous knowledge and seek more inter-disciplinary dialogue and collective action. 
• In the transition to net zero, lessons around land and ocean grab from indigenous communities by the extractive sectors must be heeded to prevent similar abuses happening in on- and off-shore wind energy development. Robust free, prior, informed consent, meaningful dialogue and mechanisms for shared benefits are critical for a sustainable, equitable transition.