Global ocean leadership: The origin of the Ocean Panel

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (the Ocean Panel) sits within a sea of initiatives aimed at transforming the way in which the world’s ocean is governed. Through a network of heads of state or government the Ocean Panel was formed to leverage its collective authority to improve ocean management domestically and globally. Drawing on expert interviews with the Ocean Panel creators and applying the multiple streams framework to policy development, we identify the critical role of policy and political entrepreneurs in enabling its rapid formation. The Ocean Panel attempts to utilise positional power and capacity through a club governance model, to influence national and international ocean policy. Akin to the G20, it is the role of the head of state or government that makes the Ocean Panel a significant development in multilateralism at a time of increased international volatility and uncertainty. In documenting the Ocean Panel’s formation and design characteristics, we identify the role of national leadership in setting the political and policy agenda for ocean governance across the globe.