Kerry Urges World Leaders to Move from Pledges to Action at Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa

Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry and world leaders gathered in Mombasa on Wednesday for the second day of the Our Ocean Conference, with warning that ocean destruction has become an immediate threat to human health and global security, not just a future environmental concern.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki opened the session representing President William Ruto, telling more than 3,000 delegates from over 100 countries that Kenya views the Indian Ocean not only as a resource to be transformed, but also as a responsibility to be honored.

“We have borrowed it from our children, to whom we must return it, better, cleaner and safer,” Kindiki said, framing ocean stewardship as a generational duty rather than a policy choice.

Kerry: The Ocean Is Now a Health Crisis

Kerry, who founded the Our Ocean Conference, delivered an emotionally charged address, placing ocean degradation firmly within the public health conversation.

He said the ocean absorbs 90 per cent of excess heat trapped in the atmosphere and that millions of tonnes of plastic now trapped in its waters are entering the human body through microplastics.

“We can’t have a healthy planet without a healthy ocean,” Kerry said. “The science is not giving us a future problem. It is now a current problem.”

Kerry urged governments to phase out oil, gas, and coal, protect mangroves and marine vegetation, and accelerate the fight against illegal fishing.

He described ocean protection not as an environmental goal in isolation, but as an economic and security imperative — noting that the ocean feeds more than three billion people and carries 80 per cent of world trade.

He called on all nations to ratify and implement the High Seas Treaty, and challenged the conference to be remembered as one that moved from speeches to binding commitments.

Kenya’s Blue Economy Push

Cabinet Secretary for Trade Lee Kinyanjui told delegates that Kenya has elevated the blue economy from a neglected policy area to a full government ministry under President Ruto’s administration.

Kinyanjui flagged a sharp logistical gap holding back intra-African maritime trade: moving a container from Kenya to Ghana currently takes between 45 and 50 days, compared to five or six days for a shipment to the Middle East.

He pointed to Lamu Port’s natural deep-water harbour as an underutilised asset capable of transforming Kenya’s role in regional trade.

Cabinet Secretary for Mining and Blue Economy Hassan Ali Joho added his voice to calls for stronger cooperation in marine conservation, urging governments to accelerate the implementation of decisions made at previous ocean conferences rather than allowing commitments to stall between summits.

Progress on the 30×30 Goal

The conference returned repeatedly to the global target of protecting 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030, a goal currently far off track, with only around 10 per cent of ocean areas under formal protection.

Joho presented a mixed progress report on past conference commitments: 41 per cent have been completed, 31 per cent are at various stages of implementation, and 28 per cent have not yet begun.

He called on governments to convert pledges into policy without further delay.

Kerry echoed the concern, arguing that Africa’s young and growing population makes the stakes particularly high for the continent, despite Africa having contributed the least to the pollution and climate pressures driving ocean decline.

“The question is whether the political will will follow the science,” Kerry said. “We must transition away from fossil fuels and embrace clean energy.”