The Nature 2030 IUCN Programme places people at the center of a transformative agenda for nature conservation. This is also the aim of the People and the Ocean Specialist Group of the IUCN. Situated within the Commission on Ecological, Economic and Social Policy, the central objective of the People and the Ocean SG is to promote the need to understand and integrate the voices, visions, rights, and livelihoods of coastal peoples and island nations into policies and practices related to the conservation and management of the oceans.

IUCN CEESP rejects human rights violations in the name of marine and terrestrial conservation. 

IUCN CEESP is deeply concerned by global reports of threats, violence and forced displacement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in the name of marine and terrestrial conservation worldwide. These acts constitute gross violations of human rights - and can never be condoned in the name of marine or terrestrial biodiversity conservation.

IUCN CEESP considers any threats, violence against, or forced eviction of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to be entirely unacceptable and holds that they constitute gross violations of human rights. 

The extensive and unique biological and cultural diversity of Mesoamerica is mainly located in the territories of indigenous peoples and local communities, terrestrial and marine life territories in which the indigenous peoples and local communities’ are the main custodians. They have courageously, effectively and efficiently protect biological diversity. The terrestrial and marine territories of life have three main characteristics; first they are territories of peoples that have a close and holistic relationship with that territory and its natural resources, second there is governance, the people in these territories develop mechanism and organization for decision making and finally, we can find a diversity of strategies or traditional practices for the conservation of biodiversity.

The mainstreaming of equity and justice has become a central concern of ocean policy and sustainability efforts. Yet, many ocean-focused governmental, non-governmental and funding organizations often lack the foundational knowledge, mandate, capacity, and diversity to be able to adequately account for and address equity and justice issues.

World Oceans Day in Hawai’i coincided this year with real progress on practical steps by two rural Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing communities to ensure fishery abundance for future generations.

On June 7, the Kīpahulu ʻOhana on Maui met with about 100 members of the community to hear comments on a set of rules developed by members of lineal lawaiʻa (fishers) families over the last few years. Their efforts were inspired by similar community efforts at Moʻomomi on Molokaʻi and Hāʻena on Kauaʻi.

Gender equality is critical for effective and equitable conservation and development outcomes in coastal countries. Commitments to gender equality have surged, yet the depth and effectiveness of these commitments are unclear. A joint research venture sought to understand and assess progress toward gender equality in the Pacific small-scale fisheries sector.

The One Ocean Hub, a global research coalition, is co-developing partnerships at different scales, between fishers' representatives and advocates, researchers, civil society, and UN bodies, to identify better ways to protect small-scale fishers' human rights.

This contribution presents some key initiatives supporting blue transitions in the Pacific of Costa Rica and discusses the challenges that the adoption of these initiatives bring to NGOs supporting communities of Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries.

The approval of an offshore oil exploration project in Argentina unleashed a conflict with the local community that managed to stop the initiative with a judicial measure and sparked a public debate about the possible environmental impacts of the project and the implications for the sustainability of the oceans.

Ocean peoples are resisting the criminalization, dispossession and exclusion of small-scale fisheries. Join and listen to the plight of Ocean Peoples at the Conference of the Ocean People, on the 26th, 28th, 30th June, at 4:00pm CET, as a counter parallel event to the United Nations Ocean Conference 2022.

The National Fishworkers Forum and the World Forum of Fisher Peoples and other civil society organisations are calling for the Conference of the Ocean Peoples. We are organising this event simultaneous to the United Nations Ocean Conference 2022 to dissent against the historical exclusion and injustice faced by Ocean Peoples.

Culture is a fundamental feature of oceanic living in the Pacific Islands. This is repeated in official documents and speeches and is understood intrinsically by communities across the vast liquid continent. When it comes to policy though, the deep connections between humans and the ocean are generally passed over, with preference given to western science and management tools. A shift, offering new directions, is nonetheless taking place.