Throughout the conference, the private sector showcased leadership and action, emerging as a key force to support effective implementation and why this makes for good business. World Economic Forum Business Hub Envisaged as a dynamic collaborative and networking space to add value to private sector participation, The Forum Business Hub welcomed over 800 participants across 25 sessions over a 4-day programme featuring transitioning business practices, directly and credibly investing in nature, building cross-sector partnerships and leveraging science as the backbone of action to accelerate the transition to a regenerative blue economy. Offering high quality conversations to highlight solutions and enhancing public-private collaborations, the Forum Business Hub brought together leaders across maritime industries and sectors like energy, logistics and finance, with leadership from civil society, conservation, science and government to shape the future of the ocean economy. The Global Future Council on the Regenerative Blue Economy, launched earlier this year, also met at UNOC and solidified ambition to advancing thought leadership to unlock new economic opportunities and build resilience by bringing together leaders across sectors. The role of philanthropy was also emphasized, both as a catalytic funder and strategic convener. Institutional frameworks for risk-sharing and public-private alignment were widely recognized as crucial to scaling ocean- positive investment. There can be no healthy planet without a healthy ocean, and the ocean's health is currently measurably in decline. Reversing this decline requires bold, determined action from all sectors, including the private sector. The Third UN Ocean Conference saw unprecedented private sector engagement, thanks in large part to our partnership with the World Economic Forum to mobilise business leadership for ocean action." - Peter Thomson, United Nations Special Envoy for the Oceans, Co-Chair of Friends of Ocean Action The Startup Reef: UNOC’s innovation space In parallel, the Startup Reef—led by 1000 Ocean Startups and hosted in the Green Zone "La Baleine"—was the prime ocean innovation space. The Reef delivered a high- impact programme featuring 50+ technical innovation showcases, 30+ sessions on investment, and global community building events. With over 100,000 visitors to the Green Zone, the Reef offered a public-facing platform for innovation and investment to meet. In several cases, meeting in-person with individuals we had previously only engaged with online helped accelerate progress and clarify next steps. It genuinely felt like new doors were opened.” – Klaartje Schade, Co-Founder of Mwani Zanzibar.Unlocking Capital for a Regenerative Blue Economy Finance emerged as a core theme across the conference, reinforcing the urgent need to close the persistent blue finance gap—particularly for developing countries and coastal communities. The message was clear: the tools and solutions exist; the next step is scaling them through coordinated investment, stronger institutional frameworks, and delivery at pace. Ocean finance is maturing—moving beyond aspiration toward implementation. UNOC demonstrated that the architecture for scaling capital exists; the next step is delivery. The commitments at BEFF and UNOC 2025 demonstrate that capital, policy, and business can converge to secure the ocean’s future—a foundation for sustainable growth worldwide. We must build on this momentum.” – Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum. Blue Economy and Finance Forum The Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF) served as a key platform to showcase progress towards accelerating ocean investment. A total of $8.7 billion was committed to be deployed over the next five years into a regenerative and sustainable blue economy – of which €1 billion has already been deployed or is investment-ready in 2025. Multiple sessions and announcements highlighted evolving mechanisms such as blended finance structures, nature-linked insurance models, and market development for blue carbon and biodiversity credits. Participating entrepreneurs and investors reported tangible traction with partners and funders, reinforcing the value of visibility and proximity to decision-makers.

UNOC Report June 2025