Blue Innovation Reception onboard Peace Boat: From NYC to COP30

The Blue Innovation Reception held onboard Peace Boat as it docked in New York City on October 17 brought together many like-minded people, from the diplomatic community and United Nations partners to civil society, academia, ocean experts, SDG advocates, and the private sector. Together, we explored bold ideas and partnerships to accelerate ocean and climate action on our shared journey toward a sustainable blue economy.

The evening opened with a live musical performance by Nākaloka that invited guests to immerse themselves in an “ocean state of mind,” followed by a land and ocean acknowledgment honoring the Indigenous communities whose lands and waters sustain us. Our first panel, led by emerging experts, spotlighted programs from the UN Ocean Decade and shared inspiring stories from the Youth for the SDGs scholarship program held regularly aboard Peace Boat. Next, guests deepened their ocean journey through powerful short films presented by our partners - Lonely Whale and Oceanic Global.

The evening continued with the Nautilus Intersectional Talks, featuring special guest, award winning actor and ocean advocate Matthew Modine and moderated by John Steele, Publisher and Editorial Director of Nautilus Magazine. To create a truly encompassing experience, the following panel centered on tourism as a force for ocean stewardship, featuring insights from Regenerative Travel, Round Hill Resorts, and Coral Vita.

Innovation remained at the forefront as Yoshioka Tatsuya, Founder of Peace Boat, and Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US, unveiled upcoming Peace Boat initiatives for the UN Ocean Decade and shared exciting updates on Peace Boat's Ecoship Project, pioneering maritime decarbonization and blue economy innovation.

Our partners at the Rocky Mountain Institute then guided us through the journey toward maritime decarbonization, highlighting the global transition to a renewable energy future. As we neared the end of the evening, we explored the powerful intersection of art and sustainability through contributions from Syndicate11, Earth Partner, and Arcadia Earth - a vivid reminder that collaborative creativity is essential to driving environmental change. In a moving keynote, Motaz Azaiza, globally recognized photojournalist from Gaza, reflected on the deep interconnection between violence against people and harm to our planet, calling for the inextricable link between healing our humanity and our environment.

We concluded the evening with a sunset celebration on the outside deck, featuring DJs Valentino Vettori from Arcadia Earth and Valentina Pahor, who set the tone for a successful networking finale before disembarkation. We are keeping up the momentum for COP30 in Brazil this November 2025, and look forward to hosting our dynamic partners and supporters again in June 2026 when Peace Boat returns to New York City! 

We hope you’ll enjoy our photo album from the event which includes speakers, presenters, musicians, exhibitors and guests.