UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and WWF Strengthen Ocean Investment Protocol to Address Financial Risks and Unlock Sustainable Ocean Finance

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Global Compact and the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature's Greening Financial Regulation Initiative (WWF GFRI), today published a revised edition of the Ocean Investment Protocol (OIP). The updated Protocol strengthens guidance for financial actors and, for the first time, introduces recommendations for central banks, financial regulators and supervisors.

Originally launched in May 2025, the Ocean Investment Protocol is a comprehensive guide designed to mobilize and scale finance for a healthy and resilient ocean and a strong, innovative Sustainable Ocean Economy. Building on the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles and UNEP FI's Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles, the revised Protocol reflects developments in the sustainable ocean finance landscape and the growing recognition of ocean-related risks and opportunities as material considerations for financial stability, economic resilience and long-term investment. It provides a practical framework for financial institutions, insurers, ocean industries, governments, development finance institutions and financial authorities to align financial decision-making with a sustainable, inclusive and resilient ocean economy.

The revised Protocol reflects a growing understanding that declining ocean health is not only an environmental challenge, but also a material economic and financial risk. Ocean-related dependencies and risks can affect financial stability, sovereign creditworthiness, food and energy security, trade, and the resilience of economies and communities.

The revised Protocol highlights several priorities:

• Stronger action by central banks, regulators and supervisors: New recommendations identify how public financial authorities can incorporate ocean-related risks and opportunities into financial stability assessments, supervisory approaches, sustainable finance frameworks and risk management.
• Better integration of ocean considerations into financial decision-making: The Protocol calls for greater use of existing financial and risk-management tools to recognize dependencies on healthy ocean ecosystems and the risks associated with their degradation.
• Scaling investment in a sustainable ocean economy: The Protocol seeks to strengthen the pipeline of investable opportunities across areas including sustainable seafood, shipping, ports, offshore renewable energy, coastal infrastructure, tourism, conservation and nature-based solutions.
• Improved data, measurement and ocean literacy: It highlights the need for accessible and reliable ocean data, common methodologies and greater understanding of ocean-related risks and opportunities across the financial system.
• A stronger enabling environment: The Protocol emphasizes the importance of coherent regulation, standards, public finance and other enabling conditions to mobilize private capital and accelerate the transition.

By providing a common foundation for stakeholders across the financial system, the revised Ocean Investment Protocol aims to help financial actors manage ocean-related risks, identify emerging investment opportunities and direct capital toward activities that support a healthy and resilient ocean. In doing so, it supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and global biodiversity commitments.

Notes to Editors

About the United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our vision is clear: to mobilize business to transform sustainability ambition into action at the scale the world demands. With more than 25,000 participants and a presence in over 100 countries through 5 Regional Hubs and more than 70 Country Networks and expansion territories, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit the UN Global Compact website.

About UNEP Finance Initiative
UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) brings together a large network of banks, insurers and investors that catalyses action across the financial system to deliver more sustainable global economies. For more than 30 years, the initiative has been connecting the UN with financial institutions from around the world to shape the sustainable finance agenda. Convened by a Geneva, Switzerland-based secretariat, more than 550 banks and insurers are individually implementing UNEP FI's Principles for Responsible Banking and Principles for Sustainable Insurance. Financial institutions work with UNEP FI on a voluntary basis, and we help them to apply the industry frameworks and develop practical guidance and tools to position their businesses for the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy. Founded in 1992, UNEP FI was the first organisation to engage the finance sector on sustainability and incubated the Principles for Responsible Investment, now the world's leading proponent of responsible investment.

About WWF's Greening Financial Regulation
WWF's Greening Financial Regulation Initiative (GFRi) seeks to place climate and environmental risks at the heart of the financial system. Through this initiative, WWF aims to demonstrate the interconnections between financial risks and environmental risks like climate change, water scarcity and biodiversity decline. GFRi engages policymakers, central banks, financial regulators and supervisors to support the integration of these risks into financial mandates, supervisory frameworks, and operational practices. Through this work, WWF provides scientific research, analytical tools, assessments, and technical assistance to help raise ambition in global sustainable finance policy. For more information, visit panda.org/gfr or contact us at gfr@wwf.ch