The Anglican Communion will be represented at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) as part of Faiths for UNOC3, a multi-faith group which aims to represent people of faiths in the decisions made regarding the oceans of the world.

The United Nations Foundation's website outlines that the purpose of the Oceans Conference is to “mobilise people around the world and across sectors — including decision-makers in government, scientists, indigenous communities, and business and civil society leaders — to accelerate action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”

This initiative is separate but also intrinsically connected to the more widely known COP (Conference of the Parties) meetings, which bring together leaders and sectors to ultimately prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system. The UNOC website acknowledges that a separate conference is necessary because of the urgency and scale of the problem: “The ocean is essential to all life on Earth. But ocean health is threatened by interconnected environmental challenges, known as the triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.”

Faiths for UNOC3 is a group of several faiths and spiritual traditions that aims to ensure that decisions affecting aquatic ecosystems are discussed and balanced against a moral lens and that the voices of faith are represented in these dialogues.

Faiths for UNOC3 states, “The ocean, which regulates the climate and feeds billions, faces unprecedented threats. It is a moral imperative to protect and care for the ocean and the people in vulnerable situations who rely on it. As the fragile balance of ocean ecosystems becomes increasingly disturbed, we are called to respond with spiritual wisdom, scientific understanding, and bold action.”

A declaration has been produced by Faiths for UNOC3 with contributions from the Anglican Communion’s UN team, which outlines the key initiatives it plans to champion at the conference. The multi-faith declaration is signed by several faith groups, charities and initiatives, including Anglican groups like Green Anglicans and other worldwide organisations like the Laudato Si' Movement, the Conference of Catholic Bishops and the World Wildlife Fund.

The declaration states, “As people of faith and goodwill, unified in purpose, we commit to urgent, transformative action that restores right relationship with the ocean and with one another. We affirm the importance of centring human rights in all ocean governance and conservation, and support, in particular, the calls brought forward by indigenous Peoples, small-scale fishers, and coastal communities.”

It goes on to reflect upon the role of creation care, specifically for oceans, as extensions of faith, saying: “Water connects and flows through our diverse faiths in both symbolism and sustenance. We, representatives of diverse faith communities and spiritual traditions worldwide, are uniting to protect our shared ocean, which demonstrates the interconnectedness and interdependence of lands, peoples, and all living beings.”

The multifaith declaration can be signed by organisations or individuals and it highlights key areas that Faiths for UNOC3 wish to raise and support on behalf of people of faith, including:

30x30, which calls for 30% of the Ocean to be adequately protected and restored by 2030. The declaration urges that we must “truly safeguard marine ecosystems from harmful activities, including destructive fishing practices, offshore oil and gas activities, and other damaging industrial activities.”

Implementation of the High Seas Treaty, also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which aims to provide the “legal framework necessary to protect marine biodiversity and promote greater ocean equity in international waters”.

Follow the progress of the ratification of the High Seas Treaty here.

Calling for a blue moral economy, which ensures decisions made about monetising the oceans and coastal areas are made with consideration for “stewardship, sufficiency, fairness, and intergenerational responsibility”.

Find out more about a blue moral economy here.

Voices from the Anglican Communion speak out about ocean protection and restoration

At UNOC3, the Anglican Communion will be represented by the Revd Glen Ruffle, the Anglican Communion's UN Representative in Geneva. Revd Glen shares, "Our oceans are some of the most beautiful and powerful parts of God's earth, yet we show them horrendous disregard.

“The Anglican presence at this UN Oceans conference as part of the Faith for UNOC3 coalition is all about pressing home the urgency of the situation, while also reinforcing the incredible agency churches and faith groups have to bring about change.

“We hope and are calling for 30% of the oceans to be placed under proper protection, that treaties governing the seas and offering protection will be ratified, and that deep-sea mining will be placed under a moratorium."

According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the Pacific Islands are facing particular threats from climate change, which “is imperilling Pacific Islands, which face growing threats to their socioeconomic viability and indeed their very existence because of climate change.”

Fe'iloakitau Kaho Tevi, Climate Change Commissioner of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and consultant environmental advisor to the governments of Polynesia and Melanesia, shares a message of commitment to the healing and protection of the oceans. “I urge communities of faith, civil society, governments, and global actors to embrace a vision of the ocean rooted in reverence, justice, and regeneration. As we prepare for the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice, France, we have a critical opportunity to elevate both the moral and scientific imperatives for ocean protection. With its theme focused on scaling up ocean action through science and innovation, UNOC 3 aligns with our Church’s call to safeguard the Moana through care, equity, and intergenerational responsibility.

“Let us move from lamentation to hope, from degradation to healing, and from extraction to restoration.”

What can Anglicans do to advocate for change?

Find out more about Faiths for UNOC3 and what they’re supporting at the conference.

View the multifaith declaration or sign as an organisation or individual.