In early June, the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) joined thousands of global leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers at the Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF) in Monaco and the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) 2025 in Nice. These convenings aimed to mobilise sustainable investment and accelerate action for ocean conservation.
Across both forums, one takeaway was clear: Asia’s leadership is vital to global ocean conservation —and philanthropy has a catalytic role to play.
PAA met innovators and pioneers in marine tech and research at The Startup Reef at the UNOC Green Zone. Top left photo: Nick Chiarelli (second from left), Co-founder and CEO of Ocean Impact Organisation; top right photo: Xu Ben Zhang (third from left), Program Lead, and Roy Budjhawan (fourth from left), Managing Director, Kelp Forest Foundation.
Why Oceans, Why Now
Ocean conservation is central to climate stability, community resilience, and sustainable development across Asia. Oceans regulate the climate, support biodiversity, and sustain over 3 billion livelihoods – yet ocean conservation receives only a small fraction of global philanthropic funding.
In Asia, with its vast marine biodiversity and many coastal communities closely tied to ocean health, there is significant potential for philanthropy to make a meaningful impact. It can de-risk innovation, scale community-rooted models, and help to translate science and technology into real-world solutions – especially when guided by local knowledge and priorities.
Spotlighting Asia in Marine Conservation and Climate Adaptation
At a high-level panel hosted by OceanX during UNOC, PAA CEO Shaun Seow joined regional leaders to spotlight Southeast Asia’s oceans as vital ecosystems and economic lifelines. Speaking alongside HRH Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, Crown Prince of Pahang, and Ruth Yeoh, Head of Sustainability, YTL Corporation, he shared how philanthropy can translate research into impact, empower local stewardship, and mobilise risk capital to scale solutions for the blue economy.
PAA CEO Shaun Seow (right) joined regional leaders at the OceanX panel to discuss philanthropy's role in advancing ocean innovation and community-led solutions.
He also spoke about the Blue Oceans Community, launched in 2024 as one of the first communities established under the PAA Communities Initiative, which brings together funders, practitioners, and ecosystem partners around shared impact goals.
With support from members such as Dalio Philanthropies, TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), and Quantedge Advancement Initiative, the Community aims to mobilise collaborative philanthropic funding to projects in Asia that support ocean health while resulting in thriving coastal communities.
As ocean-focused initiatives continue to grow, efforts like the Blue Oceans Community are helping to align partners, funding, and know-how toward a common goal: a healthy ocean for a better, more inclusive future – rooted in collaboration with governments and local communities.
Cross-Pollination of Insights and Experiences
PAA’s engagements in Monaco and Nice provided valuable opportunities for the team to learn from organisations deeply committed to ocean action, while sharing regional perspectives and innovations from Asia. The Alliance is also actively exploring new ways to catalyse and expand ocean health initiatives that support resilient coastal communities across the region.
During a visit to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco, the PAA team learnt how scientists trace the source of plastic and other pollutants across vast marine ecosystems using isotopic analysis and knowledge of major ocean currents.
Toshio Kaneko, Special Assistant to the Director General for Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Applications and Technical Cooperation, IAEA, and the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories team shared more with PAA about their work in enabling global solutions to marine pollution.
The PAA team also engaged with the Oceano Azul Foundation to learn more about their efforts in creating a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across some of the most biodiverse waters in the world, working in collaboration with governments, universities, and local communities.
The Foundation has been working with the Portuguese government to create a new marine protected area, that will bring the total share of Portugal’s protected seas of up to at least 27%. The exchange underscored the importance of building strong, place-based conservation models – whether in Portugal or Southeast Asia – through long-term partnerships and inclusive governance.
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The PAA team onboard the Santa Maria Manuela, with José Soares dos Santos, Founder, Oceano Azul Foundation (second from left) and Tiago Pitta e Cunha, CEO, Oceano Azul Foundation (fourth from left). The two teams exchanged ideas on how to drive greater impact in ocean conservation.
Partnerships to Power Progress
Conservation International and PAA’s Blue Oceans Community are collaborating on two critical ocean health and blue economy initiatives – the International Blue Carbon Institute (IBCI) and Scaling Ocean Conservation through Protection and Production (SOCPP).
SOCPP integrates ocean conservation and transitions to blue economy livelihoods for coastal communities, while IBCI shines a light on the critical role of blue carbon such as mangroves and seagrass for our climate and oceans. Both efforts aim to bridge science, policy, and community action across Asia and the Pacific.
The PAA team with Elise Rebut (second from left), Managing Director, France, Conservation International; and M. Sanjayan (third from left), CEO, Conservation International.
Looking Ahead: Spotlight on Oceans at PAS 2026
Building on the momentum from BEFF and UNOC, PAA will introduce a dedicated ocean-focused segment at the Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS), its annual flagship platform, taking place from 18-20 May 2026.
It will serve as a platform for:
- Convening funders, policymakers, and the non-profit and impact community around ocean solutions
- Launching new collaborations and co-funding opportunities
- Driving attention and resources to Asia’s blue agenda, where marine conservation intersects with climate resilience, food security, and economic inclusion
The inclusion of oceans in PAS' agenda reflects the rising urgency to elevate blue conservation within the broader climate dialogue.
PAA welcomes funders, innovators, policy leaders, and community partners to join the collective journey to advance ocean health globally – guided by local priorities, informed by global insights, and powered by multi-sector collaboration.
Learn more about joining the Blue Oceans Community or partnering with PAA on ocean initiatives at philanthropyasiaalliance.org.
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