Launch of OCEAN STATES INITIATIVE Announced at Island States Ocean Summit

 

The Nippon Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, convened the inaugural Island States Ocean Summit in Tokyo on June 3-4, 2026. The Summit brought together approximately 300 participants, including His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, heads of state, ministers and senior officials from 35 countries, representatives of United Nations agencies, research institutions, civil society organizations, and ocean experts. The summit was co-chaired by H.E. Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the IOC, and Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of The Nippon Foundation.

 

Island states, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS), are widely recognized as being among the states most affected by the impacts of climate change and face an urgent need to strengthen their resilience in response to unprecedented environmental changes. The Island States Ocean Summit was the first international summit dedicated specifically to oceans and island states, with the aim of exploring pathways that support the long-term resilience and self-reliance of SIDS, including through the development of new action plans that support the conservation of marine environments while enabling the sustainable use of ocean resources. The outcomes of the Summit will contribute to future international discussions on biodiversity, climate change, and ocean governance, including COP17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), COP31 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the BBNJ process, and the IOC’s 2027 Ocean Decade Conference. The Nippon Foundation also intends to convene the Second Island States Ocean Summit in 2030–2031, which will serve as the mid-term review of the Initiative and help shape its second phase.

 

 

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