UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (2021–2030)
HEIRS TO OUR OCEAN HOSTED THE WORLD’S FIRST YOUTH SUMMIT FOR THE UN OCEAN DECADE
In December 2020, one month before the launch of the UN Ocean Decade, H2OO dove in to prepare youth from around the world to participate by holding the world’s first Youth Summit for the UN Ocean Decade. Regardless of final exams, approximately 120 young people from all continents came together to get ready for the Decade, recognizing that they are the greatest stakeholders to decisions made today involving our ocean, waterways and climate. This Summit prepared youth around the world to learn about the Ocean Decade and to inspire them to form Youth Action Councils in their respective UN Member States.
H2OO ENGAGES YOUTH AS A DECADE IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER (DIP)
In 2020, H2OO formed the world’s first Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade (U.S. YAC UNOD) in the U.S., and continues to organize and support it.
H2OO created a toolkit—Guide to Organizing a Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade— to assist UN Member States and inspired youth in forming a YAC UNOD.
PREVIEW the ToOLKITIf interested in receiving the full toolkit in consultation with H2OO to form a YAC UNOD please contact us at info@H2OO.org
Contact usH2OO is an official Decade Implementation Partner (DIP) of the International Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) due to our work in youth engagement during the Decade.
H2OO SPONSORED THE ONLY YOUTH DELEGATION UNDER AGE 25 AT UN OCEAN DECADE CONFERENCE!
2024 UN OCEAN DECADE CONFERENCE – BARCELONA
H2OO led an official UN Ocean Decade Conference Side-Event on April 9, advocating for the meaningful inclusion of youth aged 15–25 in the Decade. Five youth leaders involved in H2OO were sponsored to attend to represent their generation and lead the side-event.
Presented was our model that actively engages youth in the Decade, emphasizing the importance of all UN Member States involving youth through youth action councils.
WATCH THE RECORDING
4th Cohort members hold signs at U.S. YAC UNOD’s organized press conference which wrapped the March 2024 World Water Week Hill Days event in Washington D.C.
5TH COHORT U.S. YOUTH ACTION COUNCIL FOR THE UN OCEAN DECADE NOW UNDERWAY
LEARN MOReH2OO has onboarded a new group of young eco-justice advocates dedicated to safeguarding our interconnected one-water system as part of the 5th Cohort of the U.S. Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade (U.S. YAC UNOD).
Over the next eight months, U.S. YAC UNOD members will be hard at work on hands-on action projects related to policy, movement-building, education, and communications!
Who makes up the 5th Cohort?
58 youth leaders aged 15–25;
Located in the USA, including sovereign Indigenous Nations within U.S.-occupied Turtle Island, Hawai‘i, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guåhan (Guam), Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
YOUTH INCLUSION EXPERT WORKING GROUP OF THE UN OCEAN DECADE LAUNCHES 1ST COHORT
LEARN MOREIn mid 2024, IOC/UNESCO invited Heirs To Our Ocean to collaborate with their Decade Coordination Unit (DCU) in creating a Youth Inclusion Expert Working Group of the UN Ocean Decade (YIEWG UNOD).
2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference Side-Event Presenting our Model of Success in Engaging Youth Under 25 in the Decade.
CORE PRINCIPLES FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN THE OCEAN DECADE
CONNECTION
Youth are connected in purpose as they process the greatest challenges their generation faces with ocean and water health and commit to allyship for those whose voices have traditionally been excluded.
COLLABORATION & SHARED LEARNING
Identifying the ways in which injustices that have affected frontline communities + the ocean are intertwined and taking action to address their root causes.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Opportunities offered to all youth in organization, leadership, presentation & public speaking, policy advocacy, and storytelling.
EMPATHETIC LEADERSHIP
Demonstrating the ability to see complex situations from another’s perspective and being open to embracing new viewpoints and processes.
COMMUNITY ACTIVATION
Engage local community and community-based solutions to further an ocean-protecting and climate-action movement in the Decade.
INTERSECTIONAL PROCESSING
Identifying the ways in which injustices that have affected frontline communities + the ocean are intertwined and taking action to address their root causes.
CHALLENGE 10
VISION 2030 CHALLENGE 10 WHITE PAPER
Including youth voices under 25 in the Decade is essential, as valuing and integrating their perspectives empowers them to become catalysts for advancing the UN Ocean Decade’s priorities well into the future.
As a member of the Expert Working Group for Decade Challenge 10, H2OO collected feedback from U.S. YAC UNOD members and H2OO Global Youth Leaders. This effort ensured that the perspectives and unique contributions of youth aged 15–25 were included in the Challenge 10 White Paper. Notably, this is the only White Paper that has incorporated youth perspectives in this manner.
READ WHITE PAPER on challenge 10SEE WHAT YOUTH ARE SAYING
