Promoting gender equity for sustainability in the oceans.

UN Etxea - Basque Country Association for UNESCO (

Civil society organization

)

#OceanAction58255

Description

As part of the United Nations Ocean Conference, and aligned with the objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, we commit to advancing gender equity as a cornerstone of sustainable ocean governance and marine resource management.
Women play a crucial role in ocean-related sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal management. However, their contributions often go unrecognized or undervalued. This commitment aims to promote the full and meaningful participation of women in ocean science, marine policy-making, and blue economy leadership, recognizing that inclusive decision-making leads to more just, resilient, and sustainable outcomes.
We pledge to:
• Promote gender equity in legal and policy frameworks related to ocean governance.
• Strengthen the role of sustainable ocean food systems in addressing poverty and food security, with a focus on empowering women as key actors.
• Support women’s leadership in efforts to reduce marine pollution and build coastal resilience.
• Foster gender-inclusive approaches in marine education, science communication, and community engagement through public awareness campaigns and knowledge-sharing events.
This initiative will implement outreach activities such as public conferences and workshops to raise awareness of gender disparities in ocean sectors, promote role models, and encourage institutional changes. These actions will integrate traditional and scientific knowledge, emphasizing the value of diverse perspectives in ocean sustainability.
The commitment also contributes directly to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by interlinking three key Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). By centering gender equity in ocean sustainability efforts, we aim to build healthier oceans and more resilient coastal communities.
We invite partners from civil society, academia, governments, and the private sector to join us in this effort to ensure that ocean solutions are inclusive, transformative, and lasting.

Partners

UN Etxea
UNESCO (intergovernmental organization)
Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment of the Basque Government (local government)
Institute of Oceanography-Spanish Research Council (IEO-CSIC) (scientific community)
AZTI (Ocean and Food Research Institution) (scientific community)

SDGS & Targets

Goal 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

5.1

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.1.1

Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

5.2

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.2.1

Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

5.2.2

Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

5.3

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.3.1

Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

5.3.2

Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

5.4

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.4.1

Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

5.5

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.5.1

Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

5.5.2

Proportion of women in managerial positions

5.6

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.6.1

Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

5.6.2

Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

5.a

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.a.1

(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

5.a.2

Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

5.b

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.b.1

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

5.c

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

5.c.1

Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

Goal 10

Reduce inequality within and among countries

10.1

By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.1.1

Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population

10.2

By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

10.2.1

Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

10.3

Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

10.3.1

Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed within the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

10.4

Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.4.1

Labour share of GDP

10.4.2

Redistributive impact of fiscal policy on the Gini index

10.5

Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations

10.5.1

Financial Soundness Indicators

10.6

Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions

10.6.1

Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations

10.7

Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

10.7.1

Recruitment cost borne by employee as a proportion of montlhy income earned in country of destination

10.7.2

Number of countries with migration policies that facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people

10.7.3

Number of people who died or disappeared in the process of migration towards an international destination

10.7.4

Proportion of the population who are refugees, by country of origin

10.a

Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements

10.a.1

Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports from least developed countries and developing countries with zero-tariff

10.b

Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes

10.b.1

Total resource flows for development (e.g. official development assistance, foreign direct investment and other flows)

10.c

By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

10.c.1

Remittance costs as a proportion of the amount remitted

SDG 14 targets covered

Name	Description

Deliverables & Timeline

01 August, 2025

Dialogue for building bridges between intersectional gender equality and ocean science: a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach: Recommendations: https://unetxea.org/dokumentuak/recommendations-gender-and-science2024.pdf

Resources mobilized

N/A

Partnership Progress

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False

Feedback

Action Network

Timeline

N/A

Entity

UN Etxea - Basque Country Association for UNESCO

SDGs

5 10

Other beneficiaries

Women and girls engaged in ocean-related sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, coastal management, and marine science, particularly those from marginalized or underrepresented communities. Coastal communities, especially in developing countries, that rely on ocean resources for their livelihoods and are disproportionately affected by climate change and marine degradation. Young professionals and students, including future women leaders in marine sciences and ocean governance, who will benefit from increased visibility, mentorship, and capacity-building opportunities. Policymakers and institutions, who will gain access to more inclusive, diverse, and effective perspectives in decision-making processes related to ocean sustainability. Civil society organizations and academic institutions working at the intersection of gender equity and marine conservation, who will benefit from collaboration and shared knowledge. Ultimately, society at large will benefit from healthier oceans, more resilient communities, and a more just and inclusive approach to sustainability.

Ocean Basins

Global

Communities of Ocean Action

Marine and coastal ecosystems management, Sustainable fisheries, Sustainable blue economy, Scientific knowledge, research capacity development and transfer of marine technology, Implementation of international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Website/More information

N/A

Countries

Spain

Headquarters

Bilbao, Spain

Contact Information

Nekane, Head of Sustainability an Gender Focal Point

n.viota@unetxea.org