The Virtual Ocean Pavilion at UNFCCC COP30

The fifth annual Virtual Ocean Pavilion was held from 3 to 21 November 2025, opening ahead of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP30, 10 to 21 November 2025) and lasting for its duration. The Global Ocean Forum (GOF) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) will return as co-organizers and are pleased to welcome Ocean Generation to the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion co-organizing team.

The Pavilion would not be possible without the support of its partners. The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion was made possible through the support of 27 partner organizations, with special thanks to its Lead Partner, Lloyd’s Register and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and its Convening Partners, BNP Paribas, National Oceanography Centre, and the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF).

Pavilion Aims

Building on the momentum of past Virtual Ocean Pavilions (COP26, COP27, COP28, and COP29) the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion:

• Continued to raise the profile of the ocean among members of the ocean and climate community and the public;
• Provided a communication platform for those who are unable to participate in COP30 in person from various parts of the world;
• Addressed COP30 priorities while promoting the incorporation of the ocean into UNFCCC processes; and
• Encouraged cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration on ocean-climate action at the national, regional, and global levels.

In addition to the traditional Pavilion aims, the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion highlighted the following focal areas:

• Collaborative initiatives involving the three Rio Conventions (the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) to promote the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus;
• National and regional action focusing on the ratification of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the opportunities it provides to explore the mitigation and adaptation potential of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ); and
• The outcomes of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), including those that call for leveraging ocean, climate, and biodiversity interlinkages.

Participation

As always, registration was free and open to all. Attendees enjoyed online access to live ocean events from 3 to 21 November and on-demand content from 22 November to 22 December. All that was needed to join was a Wi-Fi connection and a smart phone, tablet, or computer. Recordings of live events, roundtables, and youth-led interviews are available on the Global Ocean Forum’s YouTube Channel.

Pavilion Features

Key Messages

Key messages emanating from the COP30 Presidency, High-Level Climate Change Champions, Ocean Breakthroughs and other Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) initiatives, the 2025 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, and the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) were formulated and promoted through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Communications Inc and collaborators of the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion led the crafting of these messages, which were the focus of live events and roundtables. All attendees were encouraged to review, reflect, and react to the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion key messages, available here.

Live Events

The COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion will offered a series of live events featuring eminent high level speakers from national and regional organizations, intergovernmental organization representatives, ocean and climate experts, and youth leaders from around the world. The events addressed the Pavilion aims through dialogues incorporating science, finance, partnership and capacity building, public education, and collaboration with a focus on strengthening ocean and climate action as well as securing a place for the ocean in the climate negotiations.

The 2024-2025 Report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action (ROCA Report) was launched during a 90-minute live event during the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. This biennial report provides an assessment of ocean and climate science, policy, and action through contributions from 70 co-authors from organizations around the world. A new addition to this volume included a section on ocean-based solutions to mitigation and adaptation issues successfully adopted and reported within the years covered by the report.

Exhibits

Diverse and wide-ranging exhibits organized by leading ocean and climate organizations to showcase new and ongoing ocean-climate-biodiversity initiatives were featured in the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Exhibit Hall. The exhibition booths showcased ocean and climate activities and resources of collaborating partners and sponsors. The booths also provided access to information that attendees could ‘take away’ in virtual delegate bags as well as venues for informal meetings with experts and networking among exhibit hosts and attendees.

Roundtable Discussions

After a successful launch during the COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion, roundtable discussions returned for the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Roundtable discussions were held during the live days of the Pavilion and provided smaller, more intimate spaces where ideas on how to promote the key messages and address other ocean-climate-biodiversity themes were equally exchanged by participants.

COP30 Ocean Events Tracker

The Pavilion offered a gateway to COP30 ocean-related events through the COP30 Ocean Events Tracker. Information gathered through the tracker was incorporated into a calendar of ocean events accessible through the Virtual Ocean Pavilion Lobby. In addition, the Virtual Ocean Pavilion team reviewed programs of COP30 Pavilions and solicited input from collaborating partners to showcase as many ocean-related events during the COP as possible.

Treasure Trove

The Treasure Trove was prepared daily by the Pavilion secretariat and includes the latest updates on ocean and climate happenings in and around COP30. Attendees perused this valuable resource to find spotlights on our interactive exhibit booths, highlights of upcoming Pavilion and COP30 events, stories from the sea, trivia, and other exciting highlights from this year’s COP.

How to Get Involved

A Call for Collaboration

Contact Miriam Balgos (mbalgos@globaloceanforum.com), Catie Mitchell (cmitchell@globaloceanforum.com), and Thecla Keizer (tke@pml.ac.uk) to get involved with future iterations of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion.

Support the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion

The Virtual Ocean Pavilion is organized through a volunteer effort facilitated by a dedicated team of co-organizers and collaborating partners. Contributions and donations to support the organization of the Pavilion are always welcome. Please consider donating here.

Learn from Past Pavilions

For more information on past Virtual Ocean Pavilions, see the COP26, COP27, COP28, and COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion web pages, or view their summary reports, available here.

The Virtual Ocean Pavilion was launched during the UNFCCC COP26 (held in Glasgow, 31 October – 12 November 2021). A second was organized during COP27 (held in Sharm El Sheik, 6 – 18 November 2022), a third was organized at COP28 (held in Dubai, 30 November – 12 December 2023), and a fourth was organized at COP29 (held in Baku, Azerbaijan 11 – 22 November 2024).