The advocacy paper, “A Healthy Ocean for a Protected Climate,” is the founding document of the Ocean & Climate Platform (OCP), defining its international political positioning.

The OCP’s first policy recommendations published in 2015 ahead of COP21 and centered around nine key recommendations aimed to ensure that the ocean would be taken into account in the Paris Agreement. Signed by over 70 organizations, it helped bring the voice of the ocean into the negotiation rooms. The goal was achieved — a decisive turning point that marked the beginning of recognition of the essential links between the ocean and the climate. The advocacy also contributed to the adoption of a Special Report by the IPCC on the Ocean and Cryosphere, which highlighted the crucial role of marine and coastal ecosystems in mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts.

In 2019, the OCP undertook its first revision of the advocacy paper in preparation for the “Blue COP” (COP25, Madrid). After eight months of collaborative work involving more than 50 French and international members, the OCP’s second policy recommendations were released. It contributed to the inclusion of the ocean — for the first time — in a final COP Climate decision and to the establishment of a dedicated Ocean–Climate Dialogue within the UNFCCC.