CIL participated in the 12th World Ocean Summit & Expo, held in Tokyo, Japan, from 12 to 13 March 2025. Organised by Economist Impact and the Nippon Foundation, the summit brought together leaders from across sectors to discuss ocean health, sustainable industry strategies, and ocean-climate solutions. 

CIL Director Dr. Nilufer Oral spoke at the Strategy Session, sponsored by the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, on “Ocean Governance: Designing Solutions to the Triple Planetary Crisis.”

CIL researchers Dita Liliansa and Joel Ong attended as delegates and took part in the workshop “How to Realise the Opportunities for Small Island Developing States under the BBNJ Agreement.”

The summit featured a diverse mix of speakers and participants, including government officials, business leaders, policymakers, and experts from civil society and academia. Some of the notable speakers included:

• Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan
• Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau
• Hilda C. Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean
• Leticia Carvalho, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority
• Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation
• Minna Epps, Director of IUCN’s Global Ocean Programme

Discussions covered a wide range of pressing topics, from climate and ocean nexus to marine protected areas, decarbonising shipping, pollution, ocean finance, and offshore renewable energy.

The event provided an important opportunity for collaboration and exchange, reinforcing the urgency of action for a sustainable ocean future.