Nice, 25 June 2025 – In a week of utmost importance for global ocean governance, Water Revolution Foundation inscribed the yachting industry into the official agenda, and pioneered a regenerative blue finance mechanism with its Ocean Assist Programme.
Participating in high-level panels and roundtables: a voice for the industry
From 9 to 13 June 2025, Water Revolution Foundation’s delegation reported from the grounds of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France: Mr Henk de Vries III, Chairman at WRF, Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Initiator and Vice President of WRF – and architect of the Ocean Assist Programme, Mr Jorge Barbosa, Blue Economy Advisor – former UN DESA & World Bank expert, and Ms Laurie Foulon, Programme Lead & Communications Lead of the Ocean Assist Programme took part in engagements in the exclusive Blue Zone, following Special Accreditation obtained through the foundation’s science-based approach.
Dr Vienna Eleuteri, recently awarded with a noble title, Woman of Excellence by the Government of Italy and elevating her science to high-level negotiations since COP23 in 2016, also participated in key speaking engagements at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF), preceding the Conference on 7 & 8 June, in Monaco, linking superyachting with the blue economy in a panel hosted by the “MENA Blue Finance Leadership Think Tank”.
The team was also present at important panels hosted by the IMO, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), United Nations Department of Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Global Compact: important platforms carrying opportunities to position our industry in the future of maritime regulations.
Key highlights of UNOC3 for the yachting industry
Supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the yachting segment and maritime industry were recognised as key actors of the private sector and a driving force in contributing to a healthy Ocean. The maritime sectors were recognised as holding transformative potential to become, as a collective, key contributors to ocean health, and to lead by example in building a new, contribution-based economy rooted in regeneration, responsibility, and respect for the Ocean.
Eleuteri and Barbosa’s speaking engagements in the exclusive Blue Zone included an official address in front of key delegates at the Ocean Action Panel: A powerful roadmap to move from commitments to concrete results.
Water Revolution Foundation’s hosting partner, the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was the centre stage for the launch of Ocean Assist on 13th June. A keynote by Dr Vienna Eleuteri followed by a scientific-based panel composed of Adriana Del Borghi (University of Genoa and Tetis Institute – key academic partners in developing the Ocean Assist standard), Richard Unsworth (Swansea University/Project Seagrass), Ludovic Arnaud (UNCTAD) and Dr Eleuteri was moderated by esteemed Ameer Eweida [IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas], deeper anchoring the roots of the foundation beyond product and into true validated science.
The delegation also attended key addresses at Ocean Action Panels dedicated to Advancing sustainable ocean-based economies, sustainable maritime transport and coastal community resilience leaving no one behind”, “Blue Tourism: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economies for People and Planet”, and took part in panels such as MENA’s Blue Policy Transformative Leadership Roundtable, Sustainable and Resilient Ports.
Water Revolution Foundation’s mission: advancing ocean regeneration through industry transformation, is now facilitated with a dedicated industry-curated investment in regenerative blue economy.
What is the regenerative blue economy?
“The conference emphasized that protecting the oceans requires a scientifically grounded approach, with tools such as the creation of an “IPCC for the Ocean.” Effective governance must be rooted in science to ensure decisive, urgent actions. And this is what Ocean Assist was founded on” – Dr Vienna Eleuteri.
Blue Economy: Sustainable tourism practices that leverage marine and coastal resources while ensuring their preservation and regeneration. It encompasses activities like eco-tourism, coastal wildlife watching, diving, and water sports, which contribute to economic growth while maintaining the health of marine ecosystems.
Launching Ocean Assist at top level
“Integrating regenerative investment into our businesses’ value propositions is the way to preserve a future for all” – Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Project Lead, Ocean Assist.
Ocean Assist is Water Revolution Foundation’s new programme that channels financial and strategic support from the maritime industry into scientifically validated marine restoration projects. This blue finance mechanism, containing a Standard, curated portfolio, and “units” as its currency, enables stakeholders to offset their ecological footprint while promoting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and sustainable ocean practices. Ocean Assist is in support of the Regenerative Blue Economy, redefining the relationship between economic growth and marine conservation by prioritising restoration and resilience over sustainability.
By curating projects and adopting scientific tools that are urgently needed to protect the oceans, the superyacht community can maximise financial and non-financial resources to support nature-based solutions and aid the global effort to mitigate ecological impacts: leading the way towards net-zero, empowered to reach nature-positivity.
This collective and traceable approach includes coordination, shared structural commitment, and guidance by leading scientists in the field, seamlessly integrating into the industry’s Regenerative Roadmap 2050.
“We use the ocean as a resource, but we do not give back as we need to. Being aware of our sector-specific ecological footprint is needed but it is not enough. Sustainability is wrongly popular for focusing on the environmental impact, but there are many more parameters such as social and governance: Ocean Assist now links the overall sustainability impact of the private sector with the blue economy, by facilitating investment into transparent ocean conservation.”
“Simplifying science was the mission of the Ocean Assist Programme: making it readily available with trust, a gauge of transparency, and anticipating future reporting requirements of our industry. This was only possible through a deep investigation of and intimate collaboration with the yachting industry, coupled with validated science and thoroughly-defined metrics. The return on investment is not measured financially, but truly by a regenerated nature capital”.
A call to engagement for the industry
As the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) came to a close in Nice, one message stood out clearly for our industry: a healthy, productive, and resilient Ocean is no longer just a shared vision – it’s a global imperative! And it is now that the yachting industry can position itself as leaders of the regenerative blue economy. To clarify: offsetting is not the first thing you should do on the quest towards sustainability, but certainly should be the last thing you do.
The Foundation, its partners and board members call for all industry leaders: begin your sustainability journey by prioritizing actions that reduce your environmental impact. Next, focus on targeted investments like Ocean Assist Units to directly strengthen your nature-positive footprint.
“Nature is not our stakeholder – it is the one and only shareholder.”
Visit https://waterrevolutionfoundation.org/ocean-conservation/ocean-assist/ to learn more.