SOA Co-Hosts the 2025 Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in South Korea

April 27-30, 2025 | Busan, South Korea — Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA)—the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders—was honored to once again co-host the annual Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit (OOYLS) at the 10th annual Our Ocean Conference (OOC-10) in Busan, South Korea.

Since 2016, Sustainable Ocean Alliance has had the exclusive honor of co-hosting this annual Summit to engage and empower young ocean professionals as leaders in the ocean-climate sector. As a platform for youth-led solutions, the Youth Leadership Summit aims to address both challenges and opportunities in the ocean-climate sector through comprehensive objectives focused on transitioning from an 'ocean in crisis' to an 'ocean of hope' through smart, concrete, and intuitive governance actions.

To date, the Youth Leadership Summit has welcomed 662 young people (aged 18-35) from more than 80 countries to 7 international host cities.

This year, the Summit was attended by 80 delegates from 35 countries—including 40 Ocean Leaders Fellows (OLF) and 40 South Korean students—and hosted in partnership with the Our Ocean Conference organizers, National Korea Maritime & Ocean University (KMOU), Korean Ministry of Oceans & Fisheries (MOF), and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.

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Driven by this year's Conference theme, 'Our Ocean, Our Action', the 2025 programming consisted of capacity and solutions-building workshops, cross-cultural immersion, networking sessions, and more to advance the Conference’s 7 impact areas of ocean action:

1. Climate change

2. Marine pollution

3. Maritime security

4. Marine protected areas (MPAs)

5. Sustainable blue economy

6. Sustainable fisheries 

7. Digital oceans

Day 1, April 27: Pre-Summit Cultural Experience Day

On April 27, the Ocean Leaders Fellows gathered for their first day of the Youth Leadership Summit, an immersive day of cultural and scientific experiences to ground them in the spirit of ocean stewardship, cross-cultural understanding, and community-building. 

Hosted by KMOU and their partner organizations, the cultural programming invited the 80 Summit delegates into a living tapestry of science, culture, and shared experience.

We started the day in Busan Port, where KMOU’s 9,000-ton training ship—the largest in Asia—awaited us. Stepping onto the T/S HANNARA felt like crossing into a new world: one shaped by the ocean’s rhythms and the discipline of maritime life. Divided into groups, we explored the ship’s bridge, classrooms, and engineering spaces under the guidance of KMOU cadets in full uniform.

Highlights included:

• Being welcomed aboard by Kang Do-Hyung, the 23rd Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

• Standing at the ship’s bridge as we sailed toward Oryukdo Island, watching the coastline drift past under a clear morning sky.

• Learning directly from T/S HANNARA Captain and Chief Engineer Kang Min-gyun, who offered us a glimpse into the daily life of ocean stewards.

Throughout the shipboard experience, OLF Fellows and South Korean students sat side by side, bridging language and culture through shared meals and laughter as they immersed themselves in the reality of life at sea—a reminder that leadership in ocean conservation must be grounded in both heart and firsthand knowledge.

After returning to land, we set off for Busan’s Old Town—a place where history, tradition, and everyday life weave together. We wandered vibrant traditional markets, tasted street foods, visited cultural landmarks, and even stopped at a park designed for barefoot walking. We also witnessed the diverse scenery of Busan riding the Songdo cable cars.

This cultural immersion allowed participants to experience South Korea’s rich traditions firsthand, deepening respect for the diversity of coastal communities around the world.

As the sun set, the group returned to KMOU’s campus for a celebratory evening hosted by KMOU President, Professor Dr. Ryoo Dong-Keun. The dinner and networking event welcomed us with warm remarks from KMOU and partner organizations, as well as remarks from SOA’s newly appointed CEO Anne Park and OLF Fellow Ghina Raihanah Tadjoedin. 

This day of cultural and scientific programming was more than a prelude to the Youth Leadership Summit—it was an essential part of it. By immersing participants in maritime culture, traditional heritage, and community-building experiences, the program:

• Connected young leaders to the ocean in a tangible way, reminding them that their advocacy must be rooted not just in ideas but in lived experience.

• Fostered cross-cultural friendships and understanding, recognizing that solutions to global ocean challenges require collaboration across nations and cultures.

• Built a shared memory of joy, wonder, and purpose, laying the emotional and relational foundation for the days of leadership, innovation, and action to come.

Day 2, April 28: Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit

On Day 2, Sustainable Ocean Alliance welcomed the 80 delegates to the Youth Leadership Summit for a powerful day of connection, courage, and collaboration consisting of engaging workshops, fascinating dialogues, and relationship-building rooted in ocean leadership and cross-cultural exchange.

The day began by moving—literally—through exercises that invited us to embody different leadership roles through physical and mental practices, breaking down barriers and reminding us that leadership is relational, not positional.

Then, during a ‘Citizen-Led Dialogues’ session, we stepped into three symbolic roles—the Ocean, Unborn Generations, and Young Leaders—to explore urgent questions about the future to be brought forward to global decision-makers.

Over lunch, we were joined by OOYLS alumni and international guests and gathered around shared conference themes like Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), ocean technology, and sustainable fisheries. It was a rare opportunity for youth voices to be heard at the same table as seasoned experts and policymakers. In the afternoon, we refined our ideas into action, co-writing the 2025 Youth Ocean Pledge—a call to governments, businesses, and youth to step up for our shared ocean future.

We were honored to have a timely intervention and address from the founder of the Our Ocean Conference, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The room was captivated as former Secretary Kerry shared his lifelong journey in activism, from grassroots action to government engagement and then to the private sector. He briefly shared insights on mobilizing resources to push forward the ocean agenda and how to inspire young people to take action, be passionate, and not be afraid to make mistakes. 

“I am deeply honored to step into the CEO role and to witness firsthand the passion and dedication of our inaugural class of Ocean Leaders at the OOC,” said Anne at the Summit. 

Meeting with John Kerry, whose unwavering commitment continues to inspire both today’s and tomorrow’s leaders, has been a highlight—his call to action is a powerful catalyst for change. We are proud to count him as an ally in our shared mission.

Equally inspiring were the fellows-led dialogues with dignitaries, policymakers, and officials. I believe these conversations are sparking the bold solutions we need to safeguard our oceans for future generations.”

We also heard from inspiring speakers, including:

• South African ocean activist Zoë Prinsloo, whose story of founding an ocean cleanup organization as a teenager reminded us that age is not a barrier to impact. 

• Charles Steinmyller, cyclist, ocean advocate, and Director of Education & Campaigns at Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy

• Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow at Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Following a stimulating day of activities, we closed out the Summit with a dinner hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation that was marked by shared reflections from the day, laughter among delegates, and a strong sense of hope for the future. 

Day 3-4, April 29-30: Our Ocean Main Conference (OOC-10)

After two days centered around youth leadership and activation, the OLF Fellows attended the main 10th Our Ocean Conference at BEXCO Conference Center, where they attended main stage plenaries, participated in and supported one another in side events, met with their respective country delegates to inform ocean policy and decision-making processes, and more. 

The opening ceremony highlighted the urgent need for collective action to protect the ocean, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational collaboration and diversity. The program included keynote addresses, inspiring speeches, a presentation from the Our Ocean Secretariat, and musical performances—officially opening the Conference for delegates to collaborate and demonstrate their commitment to ocean leadership.

A major highlight was a dedicated listening session for the OLF Fellows to meet with the Ambassador of Peru to South Korea, providing an interactive platform for Fellows to discuss Peru's efforts in engaging young people as key stakeholders in ocean action and marine conservation. The ambassador demonstrated openness to collaborating with young people, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts to protect the ocean.

As the Conference came to an end, the Fellows brought energy and excitement to the closing ceremony, where OLF Fellow Ankur Shah proudly presented the 2025 Youth Holistic Ocean Pledge, capturing key areas of ocean action, reflecting on key takeaways, and inspiring an unwavering sense of hope for the future of our ocean. 

Looking to Our Ocean 2026

Overall, the 2025 Our Ocean Conference and Youth Leadership Summit was a momentous event that brought together 3,300+ passionate changemakers spanning across cultures, backgrounds, professions, and generations to achieve the collective goal of advancing global ocean action. 

The 10th Our Ocean Conference proudly concluded with 277 new commitments from 60 countries and organizations worth an estimated $9.1 billion USD. 

Next, the 2026 Our Ocean Conference (OOC-11) will be hosted in Kenya, marking the first time the conference will be hosted by an African country. 

Until next year… ‘Sea’ you in Kenya! 

View the official event photo gallery here.

Sustainable Ocean Alliance would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following:

OOYLS Co-Hosts:

Our Ocean Conference organizers

Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy

Korean Maritime Ocean University (KMOU)

Korean Ministry of Ocean & Fisheries (MOF)

SOA On-Site Team:

Jon Letts, Anne Park, Jessica Newfield, MJ Lamoste, Forbi Perise, Gina Restani

SOA Supportive Team:

Melissa Murray, Kelsey Rasmussen, Leon Wang, Sabrina Skelly