Ocean20 Priority Recommendations Presented at 3rd G20 Sherpa Meeting

South Africa’s flagship G20 ocean engagement platform, Ocean20 (O20), officially presented its recommendations on 26 June during the 3rd G20 Sherpa Meeting, held at Sun City under South Africa’s G20 Presidency.

The Ocean20 recommendations briefing note outlined a set of practical, inclusive, and forward-thinking proposals to support sustainable ocean governance and unlock the potential of the blue economy. It drew on months of engagement with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including scientists, civil society, policy experts, private sector actors, and international partners.

Rooted in the principles of inclusivity, practicality, sustainability, collaboration, and long-term legacy, the document built on contributions from events such as the Ocean20 Launch, Ocean20 Inception Meeting, the high-level UNOC-3 Ocean20 session, and several other stakeholder consultations. It aimed to inform the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and ensure that ocean-related priorities would continue beyond 2025—into the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the global trajectory toward Agenda 2030.

The meeting, chaired by Mr Zane Dangor, Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and South Africa’s G20 Sherpa, brought together the personal representatives—Sherpas—of G20 leaders. These Sherpas played a key role in the negotiation of priorities, shaping the Leaders’ Summit agenda, and a review of progress across all G20 engagement tracks, including the Ocean20, now only in its second year. Ocean20 is led for the year by NRF-SAEON’s Egagasini Node and represented by Dr Tamaryn Morris, lead coordinator for the platform and Ocean and Polar Coordinator for the South African Polar Research Infrastructure, and Ms Nicole du Plessis, Science Officer at NRF-SAEON’s Egagasini Node.