New York, United States, 24 April 2025 – Actor and activist Jane Fonda joined Greenpeace’s delegation to the United Nations for a crucial Global Ocean Treaty meeting yesterday. She delivered a rousing address to country delegates, thanking them for their work to protect the global oceans.
Agreement on the Global Ocean Treaty is one of the few multilateral processes on protecting nature that has made significant progress in recent years. This progress has continued at the United Nations in recent weeks, despite the United States not sending a delegation for the first time.
Jane Fonda said in her address to delegates at the United Nations: “The Global Ocean Treaty is a beacon of hope in these turbulent times. It shows that when we focus on our common humanity and our dependence on a healthy planet, we can push back against the tide of extraction and corporate greed.”
Delegates have made strong progress in the last two weeks on setting up the first Ocean Conference of Parties (COP), which will be the UN body that brings the Global Ocean Treaty to life at sea. [1]
In a separate press event, outside the UN, Jane Fonda also highlighted attempts by the current US administration to undermine multilateralism from outside the United Nations: “Hope for the future of our planet is still possible even as President Trump is trying to tear down multilateralism, undermine international processes to protect nature and stop environmental groups like Greenpeace from working to protect our planet.”
“Trump’s administration is trying to silence this movement — and the truth. They know protest works — that’s why they’re trying to make the stakes so high no one will be willing to take the risk. That’s why Greenpeace in the US and Greenpeace International have been sued by Big Oil company Energy Transfer for hundreds of millions of dollars.” [2]
Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA’s Oceans Are Life campaign lead, said: “While the Trump Administration has retreated from global efforts to protect life on our planet, such as the climate COP, and has waged a desperately short-sighted war on the environment that only benefits a few billionaires, these two weeks have been a glimmer of hope. Other nations have risen to the occasion, demonstrating the leadership needed to ensure we’re making significant headway on protecting our oceans. There is still much to accomplish to bring the Treaty into effect, and we encourage these countries to maintain their momentum towards building something that will last long beyond the turmoil of this moment, beyond a single administration, something that will last for generations. We must use this Treaty to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, and to keep this target alive, governments must ratify it as soon as possible in 2025.”
The Trump administration recently issued an Executive Order that opens vast swaths of protected ocean to commercial exploitation, including areas within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. It allows commercial fishing in areas long considered off-limits due to their ecological significance—despite overwhelming scientific consensus that marine sanctuaries are essential for rebuilding fish stocks and maintaining ocean health. These actions threaten some of the most sensitive and pristine marine ecosystems in the world.
Greenpeace USA activists displayed a vast banner earlier this week, outside the United Nations headquarters, reading “Protect the Oceans.” The team also wore t-shirts with the message “We Will Not Be Silenced,” reiterating the organization’s commitment to continue advocating for environmental protection in the wake of the recent $660M jury verdict against Greenpeace entities in a lawsuit brought by pipeline company Energy Transfer.
Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.
Notes
-Full transcripts of Jane Fonda’s speeches are available on request.
-Jane Fonda is a longtime Greenpeace supporter. She was at the UN during the final negotiations on the global Ocean treaty in February 2023 to meet with delegates and hand over more than 5.5 million signatures petition to the President of the negotiations Rena Lee
[1] The Global Ocean Treaty will only enter into force 120 days after 60 countries have ratified. The UN Secretary-General is required to convene the first meeting of the ocean COP to the Agreement no later than one year after its entry into force.
[2] https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-lawsuit-verdict/
Contacts in New York:
Other contacts:
- Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected] +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)
- Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]
