• Leading Women for the Ocean

  • Leading Women for the Ocean

  • Leading Women for the Ocean

  • Leading Women for the Ocean

MISSION STATEMENT
Leading Women for the Ocean (LWO) is a global network of women leaders from the highest levels of government, business, and civil society. We believe that empowering women’s voices in international ocean conservation increases our ability to solve problems. We are committed to empowering their participation in key negotiations such as climate change and ocean protection (or conservation), overfishing and IUU fisheries, and pollution. With passionate representatives from over 10 countries, we bring a new approach to protecting the ocean and the many millions of people who depend on its health and resources.
Founders
Akie Abe
Former First Lady of Japan
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Maria Damanaki
Former EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
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Members
Ingrid Jacinta Aingimea
First Lady of Nauru
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Lin Ching-yi
UN Sustainable Development Advisory Council of the Parliament of Taiwan
Chairperson
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Maguy Maccario Doyle
Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco
to the United States and Canada
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Emine Erdogan
First Lady of Turkey
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Begoña Gómez
First Lady of Spain
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Sarah Hogan
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Program officer
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Teresa Ish
Walton Family Foundation
Program officer
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Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Women Political Leaders
Founder and president
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Kathy Matsui
MPower Partners Fund, Co-Founder /
Goldman Sachs Japan, Former vice chair /
The Nature Conservancy, Asia Pacific Council Board Member
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Kozue Nakayama
Pacifico Yokohama
Former President & CEO
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Susi Pudjiastuti
Former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia
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Debbie Remengesau
Former First Lady of Palau
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Susan Rockefeller
OCEANA
Trustee and chairwoman, Ocean Council
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Haydée Rodríguez-Romero
Ministry of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
Vice Minister for Freshwater and Oceans Affairs
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Aiko Shimajiri
Former Minister of State for Special Missions
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Hiromi Sogo
Hearst Fujingaho
Content director of Luxury Media Group
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Margaret Spring
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Chief Conservation and Science Officer
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Minako Suematsu
The Japan Times
Chairperson and publisher
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Naomi Tokashiki
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
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Ngedikes Olai Uludong
Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations
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Judi Wakhungu
Former Ambassador of Kenya to France / Former Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Environment
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Wendy Watson-Wright
Former Executive Secretary and Assistant Director General of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission /
Vice Chair and Gender Focal Point of UN Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection
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Ingrid van Wees
Asian Development Bank
Vice President for Finance and Risk Management
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Supporters
Atsushi Sunami
Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF)
President
“In 2018 at PALM 8, Ms. Akie Abe, the First Lady of Japan, hosted a spouse program dedicated to ocean conservation. This has changed the role of spouse programs held in parallel with global high-level meetings: spouse programs are now serving as great platforms to deliver the message to the world that humans must act to conserve our oceans and our planet for the future. I would like to congratulate Ms. Maria Damanaki and Ms. Abe for their leadership and all female leaders for creating this forum and platform. Thank you LWO for leading our way toward a brighter future.”
Masanori Miyahara
Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency
Former President
“From my experience leading many international negotiations at the Fisheries Agency of Japan, I think female leaders are more decisive and are determined to complete what has been decided. They told me to commit myself more to what I am supposed to do. I must emphasize the importance of making commitments. In the past, I made commitments on bluefin tuna recovery to some female leaders and kept my words. Now LWO is making a commitment to make seafood resources more abundant than they are today and pass them on to the next generation. I would like to be part of their commitment regardless of my gender.”
Secretariat
Marta Marrero Martin
Oceans 5
European Programme Director
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Minako Iue
Sailors for the Sea Japan
Chair & CEO
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Contact US

If you’d like to know more about the network please contact us at

info@leadingwomenfortheocean.org