On 27 April, 2026, 175 political advisers took up their positions at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) for a new term. Among them, a new face: the Ocean & Climate Platform, represented by Anaïs Deprez, giving us the opportunity to look back at what the ESEC is and the place the OCP now holds within it.
What is the ESEC?
The third constitutional assembly alongside the National Assembly and the Senate, the ESEC is the assembly dedicated to civil society. Its 175 members, appointed for a five-year term, represent the main components of civil society, divided into four colleges — businesses, unions, associations, and the environment.
They are entrusted with several missions, notably: informing and evaluating public decision-making by formulating opinions and recommendations on major economic, social, and environmental issues; fostering dialogue among society’s active forces, bringing together their analyses, experiences, and proposals to help generate responses in the general interest; and strengthening citizen participation, involving citizens in certain of its work, particularly through citizens’ conventions (e.g. the Citizens’ Convention for Climate, etc.), as well as consultations and other participatory mechanisms.
In short, the ESEC is a distinctive space for expertise and dialogue, where common positions are built to inform public authorities.
How does the ESEC work?
Members are organized into 21 groups, formed according to their affinities and sensibilities, to exchange views, debate, and build common positions. Each member takes part in at least one of the seven standing committees — including one dedicated to the environment — along with three cross-cutting delegations devoted to overseas territories, women’s rights, and children’s rights.
The ESEC can be called upon by the Government or Parliament to contribute to the development of public policy. Since the start of this term, it has been consulted notably on the comprehensive law against gender-based and sexual violence, housing, and more recently on infertility, adaptation to climate change, and wetlands. It can also decide on its own initiative to take up a topic it considers important for society and that requires the attention of public authorities.
Whether responding to a referral or acting on its own initiative, this work is carried out collectively within working groups. Hearings, exchanges with relevant stakeholders, expert work, and debates among councillors help produce analyses and recommendations. Once adopted, this work is passed on and presented to public authorities and can help shape public policy, as well as bring new issues to light.
A mandate rooted in the continuity of the OCP’s institutional work
The OCP’s entry into the ESEC is a continuation of its action at both the national and international levels. Indeed, it has coordinated the France Ocean Committee (CFO) since 2020 and sits on several national bodies such as the National Coastline Committee (CNTC), the National Committee of the French Initiative for Coral Reefs (IFRECOR), and the National Council for Development and International Solidarity (CNDSI). It is also active internationally within the United Nations conventions on climate (UNFCCC) and biodiversity (CBD), and holds observer status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Building on this expertise and its ability to bring together a network of 120 organizations, the OCP was appointed by the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister in February 2026 to sit on the ESEC until 2031. This first term is marked by the election of Claire Thoury, representative of the Mouvement associatif and the first woman to hold the position of President of the Council, who carries the ambition of making it a “chamber that echoes reality.”
Represented by Anaïs Deprez, who spent eight years animating the association’s network and raising awareness among decision-makers and civil society about ocean-climate-biodiversity issues, the OCP has joined the ESEC’s Environment and Nature Group (GEN). This group brings together 19 members from citizen movements and major players in nature protection and ecological transition. Drawing on her experience, Anaïs Deprez was elected to preside over this group. The main challenge during the term will be to mobilize the Council’s members around climate issues and the preservation of living things.
Bringing ocean-climate issues into the ESEC’s work
In the years ahead, the OCP intends to keep ocean-climate issues at the forefront. This will take shape in particular within the Environment Commission and the Delegation for the Overseas of the Council, where it will take part in the term’s first work on issues such as adaptation to climate change, wetlands, and environmental justice. Beyond this work, it will strive to bring forward and encourage greater consideration of the issues carried by its network: the intrinsic links between ocean, climate, and biodiversity, the place of science in public decision-making, and also the consideration of the international dynamics and commitments that shape climate action, biodiversity protection, and ocean governance.
The goal is to make the ESEC a space where the ocean is fully taken into account, while strengthening the links between science, civil society, and public decision-making. Alongside the other organizations represented at the ESEC, the OCP will thus be able to contribute to generating collective responses to the transformations our societies are facing.