One Ocean. One Voice. One Movement.
The Ocean Rights Movement is coordinated by a global and diverse group of individuals, organisations, governments and institutions committed to advancing an ethical relationship between humanity and the Ocean.
To build and scale a Movement for Ocean Rights, Ocean Vision Legal created The Ocean Rights Collective.
The Ocean Rights Collective is a coalition of organisations and entities coordinating on international advocacy for an ethical human-Ocean relationship.
Ocean Rights Collective Members:
Ocean Vision Legal (OVL), Gallifrey Foundation, Deutsche Meeresstiftung (German Ocean Foundation), FutureSwell, Positive Rippling Consulting, InnerLight Foundation, Embassy of the Baltic Sea, The Leatherback Project, Council of Guardians for Nature (Consejo Guardianes Naturaleza), Longitude 181, WildLegal, Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), Rights & Roots, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) and the GARN Youth Hub.
MEMBER INFORMATION COMING SOON.
THE OR COLLECTIVE WORLD
OCEAN DAY & MONTH CAMPAIGN
Ocean Rights is not about imposing a single legal vision. It's about embracing diverse pathways grounded in cultural, legal and ethical traditions that centre care for the Ocean.
While the term Ocean Rights is rooted in Western legal traditions, the aspiration it reflects—the need to live in a respectful, reciprocal relationship with the Ocean—is shared across cultures, worldviews and legal systems. Many Indigenous and customary frameworks already embody ethical relationships with the Ocean that go beyond the Western language of rights.
We acknowledge that legal pluralism and the coexistence and interaction of multiple legal systems and approaches is vital to achieving a just and inclusive global Ocean governance framework. Recognising this, the Movement does not seek to impose a singular legal approach, but rather to support and monitor the diverse and context-specific ways in which States, communities and institutions are working to honour the Ocean's intrinsic value and ensure its protection.
While the recognition of the Ocean’s rights in law is one powerful pathway, it is not the only one. Our approach embraces a broad understanding of what it means to foster an ethical human-Ocean relationship, which may include, but is not limited to:
We are guided by the understanding that international declarations—such as a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights (UDOR)—can establish shared ethical and normative foundations, while still allowing States and communities to implement them according to their own legal systems, cultural values and governance models. Our goal is to create the enabling conditions for this shift through dialogue, visibility, and coordination, supporting multiple pathways toward a shared goal: a thriving Ocean and a just, respectful human-Ocean relationship.We are finalising our process for requests to join the Ocean Rights Collective. In the meantime, you can join the Ocean Rights Movement and our newsletter below.