The ocean desperately needs better regulations and protection. With the power to make this happen in the hands of decision-makers and governments, The Ocean Race uses its global platform to reach this influential audience and to get the voice of the ocean heard. One of the ways we do this is through The Ocean Race Summits, which bring together a diverse range of ocean advocates including scientists, sailors, policy-makers, youth, indigenous people and NGOs, to highlight challenges and solutions to support a healthy ocean.

Our Summits take place across the world, both during our Races and between events. In each location we feature local experts and advocates, along with virtual participants from further afield, who share their insights into tackling the most pressing issues facing the ocean, from climate change and pollution to industrial overfishing.

We are committed to Racing for the Ocean, and our Summits play a vital role, supporting the efforts of the United Nations Ocean Decade Vision 2030 Challenge 10: Restoring Society’s relationship with the ocean.

Read on to learn more about our upcoming and past Summits.

“Ending the ocean emergency is a race we must win. And by working as one, it’s a race we can win. Let’s all become the champions the ocean needs.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing The Ocean Race Summit Mindelo

Two Summits will take place in 2025:

• The Ocean Race Summit Kiel (Germany) on 7th August 2025. The event will focus on restoring society’s relationship with the ocean and take a deep dive into ocean science.
• The Ocean Race Summit Genova (Italy) and the Generation Ocean Symposium at the end of November (date TBC). This special three-day event will highlight new ideas from youth contributors on ways to support a healthy ocean.If you’re an advocate, educator, startup, researcher or policymaker interested in contributing, attending, or collaborating - express your interest here: The Ocean Race Summit Genova and the Generation Ocean Symposium.

2024

The Ocean Race Summit Alicante (Spain), November 2024

Supported by the EU Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters, the event focused on real-world solutions for restoring marine ecosystems, with particular emphasis on coastal resilience in the Mediterranean - a region that exemplifies both the urgency of the problem and the potential for impactful change.
Watch The Ocean Race Summit Alicante Summary video here.

2023

The Ocean Race Summit - Presenting Ocean Rights at UNGA (New York, USA) September 2023

The culmination of a series of Summits that sought to build a case for giving the ocean rights was held during the UN General Assembly in New York. The Ocean Race, along with the Government of Cabo Verde and US-based Earth Law Center presented draft principles for a potential Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights that had been developed by over 150 global experts, policymakers, business leaders, lawyers, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

Speakers included endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh, eminent oceanographer Sylvia Earle and Avatar actress Bailey Bass, while Volvo Cars, a Premier Partner of The Ocean Race, used the event to announce that they are joining conservation group WWF’s moratorium on deep sea mining. Find out more here and view the programme here.
Read the full document: We are the ocean and the ocean is us (principles on ocean rights).
Watch the full Summit on UN TV: here

The Ocean Race Summit Genova (Italy), June 2023

The Summit, held in the Grand Finale host city for the 50th anniversary edition of The Ocean Race, focused on the outcomes of the “Genova Process” - the pathway, that started in the city in March 2022, brought together experts in international law, diplomacy, ocean science and sport to drive the ambitious goal of drafting principles for a potential Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.

The principles were presented in Genova during The Ocean Race Summit and then delivered to the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023. Discover more about the event here and see the full programme here.

The Ocean Race Summit Aarhus (Denmark), June 2023

Three summits took place in Denmark’s second largest city, focused on ocean rights, business and youth action. Industry, shipping solutions and food waste were among the issues addressed at the events. Find out more here and view the full programme here.

The Ocean Race Summit Newport (Rhode Island, USA), May 2023

Few cities in the world are as closely linked to the sport of sailing as the city of Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Summit was an opportunity to deep-dive into ocean rights, marine megafauna, blue innovation, sustainability and sports, sea level rise and Blue Carbon opportunities. Discover more about what happened here and view the programme here.

The Ocean Race Summit Itajaí (Brazil), April 2023

Ocean rights took center stage at this high-level event, which also featured indigenous rights, sustainability and sports, sustainable ship building and fisheries and Blue Carbon opportunities. Find out more about what happened here and view the programme here.

The Ocean Race Summit Mindelo (Cabo Verde), 23 January 2023

Cabo Verde was a Race stopover for the first time during The Ocean Race 2022-23 and the location for the first Summit of the Race. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, was the headline speaker at the event, which addressed ocean rights, marine protected areas, sustainability & sport, sustainable finance and ocean literacy.

Over 300 attendees signed up to the Mindelo Declaration, to pledge their support for the seas. Find out more about the event here and view the programme here. Read The Ocean Race Summit Mindelo report.

Started as a stand-alone event during the 2014-15 edition of the Race, at the stopover in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, the Summits have become one of the most important elements of our efforts to protect and restore the ocean.

During the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race, the series of Summits focused on showcasing innovative solutions to the ocean plastic crisis. As a result of the events, governments, mayors and governors signed their countries, cities and states up to the Clean Seas programme, while businesses such as Volvo Cars made public commitments to reduce their use of plastics.

The Summits have evolved to reflect the need to broaden out the focus beyond plastic to other key issues relating to the restoration of ocean health.

The Ocean Race Summits have been held in Stockholm 2022 (view the report here and highlights video here), Seychelles 2022 (view the report here), Europe 2021 (view the Summit here and download report here), Newport 2015/ 2018/ 2020 (view report), The Hague 2018/ 2020 (view report), Genoa 2019, Gothenburg 2018, Cardiff 2018, Hong Kong 2018, Cape Town 2017 and Alicante 2017.

As well as hosting our own Summits across the world, we take part in major events, such as the United Nations Ocean Conference and climate COPs. Head to the News section to discover more on our recent work to call for new and improved ocean policy on the global stage.