Around half of the world’s population are young people but how are they included in international negotiations about the future of our planet? This episode portrays the importance of youth involvement in intergovernmental processes, maps different ways for young people to participate in ocean negotiations and highlights opportunities at local, national and global levels.

How can younger generations shape the future of our ocean?

What is the age group of young ocean advocates?
And what needs to be changed to strengthen youth engagement in our current ocean governance systems?

Guests:

Charley Peebler (Co-Founder of Heirs to Our Ocean, Global Youth Leader, and Member of Youth Inclusion Expert Working Group for the UN Ocean Decade)

Chloe McKenna (Head of Communications for Heirs to Our Ocean, Global Youth Leader, and Member of Youth Inclusion Expert Working Group for the UN Ocean Decade)

Armon Alex (Head of Development and Outreach for Heirs to Our Ocean, Global Youth Leader, and Member of Youth Inclusion Expert Working Group for the UN Ocean Decade)

Ishwarya Kandasamy (Thematic Focal Point for BBNJ, Oceans Youth Constituency, Major Group for Children and Youth)

Hosts: ⁠Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki⁠ & ⁠Jennifer Macey⁠

Sound design and editing: ⁠⁠Emily Perkins⁠⁠

Communication: ⁠Sunnefa Yeatman⁠

For comments & feedback please contact: ⁠inatvw@uow.edu.au⁠

Find out more:

ANCORS Ocean Equity page ⁠https://oceanequityresearch.org/⁠

ANCORS at the University of Wollongong ⁠https://www.uow.edu.au/ancors/⁠

You can find official documents in preparation for the Entry into Force of the BBNJ Agreement on the United Nations Website: https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en/meetings/preparatory-commission/documents/second-session-18-29-august-2025

Youth-led NGO “Heirs to Our Ocean”:

Official Website: https://h2oo.org/

Meet Heirs to Our Ocean

The Official Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (YOUNGO):

Official Website: https://youngoclimate.org/

To join Ocean’s Voice working group of YOUNGO

Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY):

Official Website: https://www.unmgcy.org/

Get involved with MGCY as an organisation and as an individual

United Nations Youth Delegate Program:

Become a ⁠UN Youth Delegate

Further Youth Engagement opportunities:

Become a High Seas Youth Ambassador

Become a member of the Youth Advisory Council

Youth Advocacy Training - World Ocean Day

Youth Leadership

Home | GenSea

A WAVE OF MESSAGES FOR THE HIGH SEAS - High Seas Alliance Treaty Ratification

High Seas Youth Advocacy | Trello

Research on the BBNJ process by ANCORS researchers:

Lothian, S. (2023). The BBNJ preamble: More than just window dressing. Marine Policy, 153, 105642-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105642

Lothian, S. L. (2022). Marine conservation and international law: legal instruments for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2024). Pathways of scientific input into intergovernmental negotiations: a new agreement on marine biodiversity. International Environmental Agreements : Politics, Law and Economics, 24(2–3), 325 348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-024-09642-0

Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2022). Governing a Divided Ocean: The Transformative Power of Ecological Connectivity in the BBNJ Negotiations. Politics and Governance, 10(3), 14 28. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v10i3.5428

Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2020). The Voice of Science on Marine Biodiversity Negotiations: A Systematic Literature Review. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.614282