In a joint declaration signed on May 23, 2022, the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the government of French Polynesia committed to elevating the voices of island people and Polynesia, making an urgent call for the sustainable management and protection of the oceans, and advancing the importance of culture and ancestral knowledge to educate and empower future generations to become responsible navigators for a healthy, thriving Island Earth.  

The document – Joint Declaration for the Oceans – was signed by French Polynesia President Edouard Fritch and PVS president Nainoa Thompson. The signing followed the 2022 Blue Climate, an event co-hosted by the government of French Polynesia to accelerate ocean-related solutions to climate change and to provide Pacific Islanders an international forum to spearhead action on ocean and climate issues. The event gathered more than 200 scientists, innovators, policymakers, community leaders, and environmental and youth activists. Thompson and crew members of Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia participated in conversations with ocean advocates and youth ambassadors to discuss how they could work together to advance island values and ancestral knowledge to educate and empower the next generation to become responsible stewards of the oceans and the earth. 

To view the declaration in English, click here.
To view the declaration in French, click here.