SOA at COP29 – Our Objectives, Delegation, and More

From November 11-24, Sustainable Ocean Alliance will join global delegates, international leaders, policymakers, and advocates alike in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 29th annual UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties—commonly known as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29). 

RELATED | SOA COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS FROM COP28

The Ocean & COP

Over the past five years, the ocean has received increasingly more recognition for its critical role in global mitigation and adaptation to climate change during UNFCCC COP events. At COP25, for the first time ever, the ocean was mentioned in the main outcomes of the decision text. 

Since then, there have been: 

• An annual UNFCCC Ocean Climate Change Dialogue during the June UN Climate Meetings (SB60)

• An established Ocean Pavilion at COP

• A dedicated subsection for the ocean in the Sharm el Sheikh Adaptation Agenda

• Mitigation Breakthrough Goals for the Ocean, Mangroves, and Coral Reefs through 2030

SOA at COP

Since COP25 in 2019, Sustainable Ocean Alliance has supported a diverse delegation of members of our community to attend the UN Climate Conference, bringing youth voices to the forefront of the climate conversation and ensuring they have a seat at the table. 

We have been able to elevate the profiles and voices of our impressive Young Ocean Leaders through speaking engagements at official COP Presidency events, Country and Thematic Pavilions, and the Green Zone.

Additionally, SOA contributes to the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action — Ocean and Coastal Zones Climate Action Pathway, where key policies and initiatives are being developed, such as the Ocean Breakthrough and the Coastal Tourism Breakthrough. 

As one of the primary youth-centered ocean organizations working at the ocean-climate nexus with the UNFCCC, SOA plays a key role in showcasing the growing youth movement calling for ocean-climate action and plugging our leaders into the spaces that are working to further the inclusion and implementation of ocean-based climate solutions.

Our Objectives

• Contribute the skills and networks of our young ocean leaders to advance the implementation of ocean-based climate solutions.

• Coordinate and collaborate with the work of the organizations of the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action Ocean and Coastal Zones Climate Action Pathway to advance ocean-climate action messages, objectives, and initiatives at COP29 and beyond. 

Our Strategy

• Leverage our delegates to track negotiations for the ocean-climate community.

• Support our delegates in contributing to the existing dialogue and research on how/if the inclusion of ocean-based climate solutions in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) drives investment.

• Set the groundwork for COP30 Brazil and updated 2025 NDCs

• Leverage SOA’s global community to advocate for increased inclusion of ocean-based climate solutions in NDCs at a national level heading into COP30.

• Build groundswell with our global community, especially our Brazilian network, to coordinate and communicate with the COP30 Presidency on ocean-climate action priorities.

SOA’s COP Delegation & Support Team 

SOA's COP delegations come from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds—including communications, science, policy, and entrepreneurship. 

From Türkiye to the island of Pohnpei, this year’s COP29 delegation is represented by a group of powerful young changemakers: Mark Haver, Ela Gokcigdem, and Joshua Joseph Pangelinan. Earlier this year, these young leaders also represented SOA at the Ocean and Climate Dialogue during SB60 in Bonn, Germany. 

RELATED | REFLECTIONS FROM UN CLIMATE CHANGE SB60

This delegation will also be supported on the ground by SOA team members, Shannon Cosentino-Roush (Senior Global Policy Advisor), and Eugenia Barroca (Regional Representative for Europe & Lusofonia). Additionally, Nathaniel Launer, Sameer Swarup, and Maria Costa are offering their time and expertise to support SOA’s strategic objectives in Baku and beyond. 

Delegation Members

Mark Haver, SOA Regional Representative North America & Global Policy Advisor — Head of Delegation

Mark is an ocean and climate advocate from the United States. He got his start with SOA as the organization’s Inaugural Chair of YPAC, where he brought young ocean policy professionals together to create the Global Blue New Deal—an ocean policy call-to-action framework. 

Mark has a long history of engagement with the UNFCCC and at COP, where he has led SOA’s delegations since 2021 for COP26, COP27, COP28, and now COP29. He has spoken on panels hosted by the Chilean Government, the Scottish Government, the UN High-Level Climate Champions, and organizational partners about SOA’s policy work related to the Global Blue New Deal and our Campaign Against Deep-Sea Mining. He also spoke at the plenary of the first-ever OCD and moderated the second Dialogue in person during the UNFCCC’s semiannual SB intercessions.  

Joshua Joseph Pangelinan, SOA Regional Representative for Oceania

Hailing from the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Joshua is a young professional focused on scaling up the blue economy and enhancing access to bilateral and multilateral climate finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

As an ocean-climate specialist, he aims to support country-driven climate action in line with NDCs under the UN Paris Agreement. In 2021, Joshua joined SOA to assist in the launch of the Unmasking Plastics Program and provided strategic research and policy solutions to aid in the development of the Global Blue New Deal. He has also developed profiles of Pacific Island Countries (PICS) with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to provide inputs and recommendations on the blue economy sector to inform the Blue Pacific Continent Strategy for 2050.

Last year, Joshua served as a delegate for the FSM at COP28 Dubai covering topics and supporting negotiations on climate finance. He was also selected as a Youth Delegate for the 2024 Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in Athens, Greece, where he participated in a high-level roundtable event with country leaders to discuss marine spatial planning activities and youth participation in the blue economy. 

Ela Gokcigdem, SOA Marmara Sea Hub Leader 

Ela Gokcigdem is a Turkish-American blue economy specialist focusing on economic resilience in island communities. She is the youngest leader in the Turkish Ministry of Environment's Blue Economy Taskforce.

Ela's involvement with SOA began as the Representative of Türkiye for our 2021-2022 YPAC cohort. Since then, Ela has interned with SOA as a Solutions Portfolio Intern during the Summer of 2023 through the EDICT Internship Program and now is a hub leader for SOA Marmara Sea. 

At UN Conferences, Ela has been a strong advocate for international collaboration on the restoration of Türkiye's beloved Marmara Sea. Inspired by her experiences in Avsa, Türkiye, Ela created Bloom, the first small-scale algal conversion mechanism designed for coastal communities to address endemic algal blooms without government intervention. Bloom won the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge and was a COP28 Climate Technology Accelerator Top 100 Startup. Ela recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Babson College and plans to pursue a Masters in International Development Studies at the Geneva Graduate Institute. 

On-The-Ground Support Team

Shannon Cosentino-Roush, SOA Senior Global Policy Advisor
Currently, Shannon serves as the Senior Global Policy Advisor at SOA, guiding the organization’s strategy for global campaigns and direct policy engagement.

Shannon has over 15 years of experience, working both in the U.S. and internationally, as an ocean policy, legal, and technical expert. She has held positions within the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington D.C., as well as international consultancies across Europe, Asia, and Africa, global NGOs, and the private sector, serving on the leadership team of an ocean and climate tech startup.

Shannon holds a B.S. in Political Science from Santa Clara University and a J.D. and Master in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.

Eugénia Barroca, SOA Regional Representative for Europe & Lusofonia 

Eugénia (she/her) is the Regional Representative for Lusofonia & Europe at Sustainable Ocean Alliance. Over the last fourteen years, she has played an active role in several environmental projects in national and international organizations. 

In addition to SOA, Eugenia is an Ambassador for the Blue School Program, and from 2019-2020 she was the Young Atlantic Ambassador for Portugal in the AANChOR Project. Recently, she became the youth representative of the environmental organizations at the Youth Consultive Council (CCJ), where she gives proposals to the Government of Portugal.

In 2022, she was considered Hero of the Sea by Portugal’s President of the Republic Dr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and in 2023 she joined the Reflection Group, The Future has Already Begun, in which she discussed the national and international goals with the President of the Republic and Portuguese youth until the end of the President's mandate.

In 2021, Eugénia provided scientific consultancy in producing the documentary series Rios Urbanos about 12 Portuguese estuaries, which premiered on November 2023 on RTP2.

Eugénia has a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Algarve and is currently earning a Masters in Applied Marine Biology at the University of Aveiro, where her thesis focuses on the implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Connect with SOA in Baku

Will you be in Baku with us? Join our SOA at COP29 WhatsApp chat here.  

Interested in staying in the know on COP29? Watch the COP29 Livestream from November 11-22 here and follow SOA on social media for live event coverage: Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, Threads. 

Are you and your organization hosting or speaking at events this year? Check out and add to SOA’s and other featured events of interest to the ocean-climate community here. 

Interested in connecting with SOA on the ground in Baku or collaborating with us on future UNFCCC ocean-climate engagement? For immediate COP29-related opportunities, please connect with Mark Haver, SOA’s COP29 Head of Delegation, via WhatsApp at +1 571 786 9673. For non-immediate opportunities and proposals, please connect with Mark via email at mark.rr@soalliance.org 

A special thank you to the delegations of Chile, Panama, and the Federated States of Micronesia and the Ocean & Climate Platform for supporting accreditation.