The ocean underpins food security, climate stability, economic prosperity and biodiversity, yet pressures on ocean ecosystems continue to intensify.To help safeguard these vital systems, a group of 19 world leaders called the Ocean Panel committed to sustainably managing 100% of the ocean areas under their countries’ jurisdictions through Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs). These plans create ‘umbrella’ frameworks that unite each country’s ocean policies and align them with international agreements and commitments. While there are many international coalitions and membership groups that solve a single issue, the Ocean Panel aims to address all aspects of ocean use. Its members work to manage their national waters holistically and sustainably, while redefining their national economies to ensure the ocean provides food security, solutions to climate change and sustainable jobs and livelihoods.Now, nearly six years after this commitment, the newly published 2026 Ocean Panel Progress Report demonstrates members are moving beyond this initial ambition toward delivery of a sustainable ocean economy. Steady progress is evident across all five pillars of their Transformations agenda and Ocean Panel members are increasingly working collaboratively.While challenges remain, these findings show what is possible when governments set a common goal, and perhaps most importantly how they achieve that goal. The report identifies gaps and common challenges to overcome and ultimately aims to inspire others to join them in their pioneering commitment.Below, we explore several key findings that articulate the momentum shift from development to implementation and collaboration:1) Over half of Ocean Panel members have Sustainable Ocean Plans in place, and most of the remaining members are in the advanced stages of drafting. With 40% of the world’s exclusive economic zones (EEZs) governed by Ocean Panel member countries, this is a significant milestone on the way to a sustainable ocean economy. Countries are continuing to make consistent progress with the likes of Ghana and Mexico published their SOPs in 2025, Australia publishing their SOP at the UN General Assembly in 2026 and Portugal currently advancing its plan through the implementation of their National Ocean Strategy 2021-2030.While significant, these results also suggest that developing comprehensive SOPs takes longer than originally anticipated, highlighting the complexity of coordinating multiple sectors, stakeholders, communities and governance arrangements into a single national framework.Nevertheless, those still in the development stage are working to ensure their SOPs are fit for purpose, inclusive of all required stakeholders and that the process is iterative. For example, Kenya has been advancing critical foundational components, including a marine spatial plan, and Brazil has been developing its Planejamento Espacial Marinho (PEM), which will act as the country’s SOP. The PEM process includes dedicated participatory mapping and sectoral workshops with traditional peoples and coastal communities.2) Twelve new countries, covering over 1.5 million square kilometers (579,000 square miles) of ocean, have adopted the Ocean Panel’s 100% Approach, demonstrating how the Ocean Panel’s leadership is helping shape ocean governance globally. SOPs have gained worldwide recognition as the primary ocean governance structure for sustainable management. Through initiatives like the 100% Alliance where South Korea, Panama, Colombia and Belize have joined in the commitment to sustainably manage 100% of each country’s ocean jurisdiction and the signing of the Yaoundé Declaration committing eight Gulf of Guinea countries to the same endeavor, the Panel’s influence has grown globally.SOPs have also been credited as vital for integrated ocean management in multiple international organizations and forums, from the Barcelona Statement for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s strategy on Sustainable Ocean Planning, the Political Declaration for the third UN Ocean Conference and the Action Agenda Blue Package outcome at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) as well as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2025. Most recently, in June 2026, the Island States Ocean Summit recognized SOPs as the central tool for sustainable ocean governance. Collectively, these inclusions of the Ocean Panel’s approach show the growing global recognition that 100% management is essential to achieving a sustainable ocean economy for all.3) Most countries have strengthened their plans’ backing through legislative measures or policies to reinforce its legal and institutional backing. This signals a shift from high-level policy commitments to a set of legally binding measures that ensure these plans are delivered. For many, the ocean policies were already present and the SOP could be developed to help implement them. For example, Japan’s SOP is strengthened by the Basic Act on Ocean Policy published in 2007, and has helped the country now produce its Fourth Master Plan on Ocean Policy that was adopted through a cabinet decision in 2023. Similarly, Norway’s updated SOP was first passed through its parliament in the form of a white paper in 2024, before its publication.4) All members have now advanced national strategies and targets for the decarbonization transition in line with the Paris Agreement, with 17 having at least one ocean-based climate measure or target in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). This progress shows the Ocean Panel’s leadership in reducing emissions across maritime sectors including shipping, ports, fisheries and offshore energy production. Many members have now set into action decarbonization strategies and investments of these key sectors. For example, the United Kingdom has committed 448 million pounds ($549 million) to the second phase of their Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions Programme (2026-2030).This progress also reflects the growing recognition of ocean-based solutions in wider climate conversations and their capabilities in helping close the emissions gap in line with the Paris Agreement’s target of 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Ocean Panel members have been leading the way in encouraging other ocean and coastal nations to include ‘blue’ NDCs in their next round of NDC submissions. The Blue NDC Challenge, launched in 2024 and co-led by Ocean Panel members Brazil and France, aims to do just this. It has grown rapidly and now includes 17 nations, 13 of them Ocean Panel members.5) Budget limitations were the most commonly cited obstacle to SOP development in 2026 (44%), with conflicting stakeholder interests and shortages in technical expertise and capacity (both 39%) also significant barriers. The ocean receives just 0.1% of all development funding. Taken together with the finding that relatively few members identified lack of internal governmental coordination (11%) or insufficient stakeholder engagement (6%) as major constraints, this indicates that countries continue to struggle with securing the financial resources, technical capacity and data needed to implement plans effectively.Overall, these findings suggest that strengthening capacity, mobilizing sustainable finance and improving access to data and technology within government offer the greatest opportunities to accelerate the development and implementation of SOPs.6) Marine protected areas (MPAs) cover an average of 28% of member countries’ EEZ area, demonstrating an increased focus on marine protection. This directly relates to Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of terrestrial land, inland water and coastal and marine areas by 2030. Six Ocean Panel members have already achieved met and in some cases surpassed it. All members are making progress in establishing and effectively managing MPAs and other effective conservation measures, and in increasing the extent of ecosystems or halting their net loss. This can be seen also from the finding that 57% of the world’s MPAs within EEZs are found in Ocean Panel members’ waters.While Ocean Panel members are at different stages in achieving their protection goals, through their efforts make clear that sharing and peer learning are crucial if this global goal is to be achieved. This finding holds particular significance with the upcoming inaugural Conference of Parties on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement in January 2027, where management mechanisms for high seas MPAs will be discussed, and questions of effectiveness, management quality and ecological outcomes will be raised.7) Ocean Panel members contributed over half ($4 billion) of the $7.5 billion committed at the 11th Our Ocean Conference, demonstrating how the members remain committed to financing the transition to a sustainable ocean economy, despite the global response waning. The Our Ocean Conference is the only annual ocean conference that invites high-level representatives from governments, NGOs, international groups, academia and private-sector organizations. This highlights the Panel’s continued influence in setting the pace of ambition and commitment to leading within the international governance system. Ocean Panel members hosted the most recent Our Ocean Conference (Kenya) and will host the next two conferences (Canada in 2027 and Jamaica in 2029), demonstrating their commitment to shaping the global ocean agenda and focusing attention on a sustainable ocean.Overall, the findings from the 2026 Ocean Panel Progress Report reflect an initiative in delivery mode. Member countries continue to make meaningful progress toward their shared vision of 100% sustainable ocean management. This is evident in the development and implementation of SOPs, the strengthening of legal and institutional frameworks, the integration of ocean priorities into climate policy, the expansion of marine conservation measures and the growing financial commitments to a sustainable ocean economy.At the same time, the report points to an important transition. The challenge is increasingly no longer securing political commitment to integrated ocean management, but ensuring countries have the finance, technical capacity and institutional frameworks needed to implement their ambitions.The findings also suggest that the Ocean Panel’s influence increasingly extends beyond its own membership. Through initiatives such as the 100% Alliance and the Blue NDC Challenge, leadership at the Our Ocean Conference, and the growing recognition of Sustainable Ocean Plans within international declarations and processes, members are helping shape wider global norms around sustainable ocean governance.Ultimately, the foundations for a sustainable ocean economy are increasingly being put in place, but it is crucial that countries convert this growing architecture of ambition into tangible, positive outcomes for people, nature and climate.