Local Leaders Webinar: From UNOC to COP30
Coastal Communities Leading the Way for Climate and Ocean Action

Date: 29 October 2025

Format: Virtual Roundtable (Two Sessions Across Time Zones)

Duration: 1.5 hours

Partners: Coastal 500 | Rare | Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) | Local2030 Islands Network | ICLEI

PURPOSE AND VISION

As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a powerful message is rising from coastlines and islands: global progress begins with local action. This recent dialogue convened mayors, indigenous leaders, and coastal community representatives to discuss how local action drives global ocean and climate outcomes.

The session aimed to:

• Frame the strategic opportunities of COP30 and outline the emerging “blue package” priorities;

• Elevate local and Indigenous voices in shaping the global ocean–climate agenda; and

• Showcase powerful examples of locally led resilience and sustainable coastal development.

Building on the momentum from the “Accelerating Local Action for SDG14” workshop hosted by Rare, GLISPA, and other partners, earlier this year at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), this webinar advanced the same spirit of collaboration toward actionable outcomes.

“Everything needs to start and end with the people”

Thomas Sberna, Ocean Lead, High-Level Climate Champions

The COP30 Presidency calls for a global “Mutirão” for climate action. “Mutirão” is a term derived from Tupi-Guarani, a South American Indigenous language family, that means collective effort, and this ethos underpins the presidency’s call for worldwide cooperation on climate and ocean action. The Global Mutirão for Climate Action emphasizes solidarity, mutual aid, and shared responsibility to accelerate implementation across all levels.

This vision builds on existing Ocean Breakthroughs — including marine conservation, renewable energy, sustainable shipping, tourism, and aquatic food systems — while ensuring that progress remains grounded in local realities and leadership.

Key global targets include:

• Conserving and managing 20 million km² of ocean;

• Restoring 20 million hectares of ecosystems; and

• Mobilizing $20 billion in regenerative blue economy investments.

For coastal and island nations, the Global Mutirão represents a critical opportunity to ensure that local governance, traditional knowledge, and community-driven innovation are central to achieving the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

“What we have in common are people - and our work, our actions, our policies, our programmes must be people focussed”

Ruth Spencer, MEPA Trust, Antigua and Barbuda

PRIORITIES AND POLITICAL ISSUES

The sessions featured speakers from British Columbia (Canada), the Solomon Islands, Tasmania, and Papua New Guinea, who shared bright spots and collectively emphasized the following themes:

1. Empowering Local Leadership

Speakers agreed that true climate progress depends on decentralized action and community ownership. Local governments from Guatemala, Brazil, and the Caribbean showcased integrated coastal management and co-governance frameworks that link ecosystems protection with sustainable livelihoods.

2. Inclusion and Representation

Participants called for direct participation of local and Indigenous leaders in COP30 negotiations. Ruth Spencer from the Marine Ecosystems Protected Areas (MEPA) Trust urged for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement by Brazil and Guatemala to ensure communities have access to environmental information and decision-making rights. Donor-funded projects, she warned, must include meaningful consultation, not tokenism.

3. Sustainable Financing

Karen McDonald Gayle from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) stressed the critical role of long-term financing for climate adaptation. She highlighted the CBF’s endowment model supporting 12 Caribbean countries, demonstrating how local conservation trust funds can sustain coral and mangrove restoration beyond project cycles.

4. Indigenous Knowledge and Rights

Katisha Paul, Youth Representative from the Union of British Columbian Indian Chiefs, underscored that Indigenous self-determination, language, and governance are inseparable from climate resilience. She cautioned that carbon trading mechanisms under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement threaten Indigenous sovereignty unless Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is upheld.

5. Gender and Youth Leadership

Women and youth-led initiatives were highlighted as vital for innovation and continuity:

• The Sea Women of Melanesia trained over 100 Indigenous women in marine monitoring and local area management.

• The city of Hobart, Tasmania’s Youth Climate Fund supported 29 projects, demonstrating that intergenerational engagement strengthens resilience and social cohesion.

6. Seascape-Level Implementation

The seascape was identified as the ideal governance scale—large enough to achieve ecological impact yet grounded in community context. This approach underpins the emerging concept of “Regenerative Seascapes”, connecting local conservation projects into a global, networked system of blue innovation.

Full Speaker listing:

• Karen McDonald Gayle, CEO – Caribbean Biodiversity Fund

• Hugo Sarceno, Coastal500 Guatemala

• Thomas Sberna, Ocean Lead at the High-Level Climate Champions for COP30
• Ruth Spencer, Chair of the Marine Ecosystems Protected Areas (MEPA) Trust
• Bertha Reyuw, Capacity Building Program Manager, Micronesia Conservation Trust
• Jessica Robbins, Climate Futures Lead, City of Hobart
• Katisha Paul (Kwikws l̲vs̲áos), Elected Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Youth Representative and Policy Analyst, BC First Nations Justice Council
• Stephen Suti Agalo, Team leader and advisor for the Gizo Women in Business Development Incorporated Trust Board.
• Naomi Longa, Head of the Sea Women of Melanesia

“When we are practicing indigenous climate adaptation, we have to understand that it's inseparable from our right to self determination.”

Katisha Paul (Kwikws l̲vs̲áos) Elected Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), Youth Representative and Policy Analyst, BC First Nations Justice Council

NEXT STEPS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Message Amplification at COP30: The Coastal 500 Network will carry these priorities to the Local Leaders Forum in Rio and COP30 in Belém, emphasizing inclusion, financing, and seascape-level governance.

• Ongoing Local Dialogues: Future sessions will deepen cooperation among local governments, NGOs, and Indigenous networks beyond COP30.

• Storytelling and Visibility: Partners committed to amplifying community-led success stories under the shared message.

In essence, this roundtable reaffirmed that the road to COP30 runs through local communities, utilizing empowered local leaders, equitable financing, and Indigenous knowledge as the foundation of effective ocean and climate action.

Our sincere thanks to all speakers, moderators, and participants — including local government representatives, Indigenous leaders, NGOs, and partners from across coastal and island communities.

As a partnership, GLISPA succeeds because of its members. To stay up to date with GLISPA activities, subscribe to our newsletter.