Environmental Peacebuilding Association

Blue Peace and Security: Building Momentum for Ocean Action in Environmental Peacebuilding (A Path to Ottawa Event)

Apr 28, 2026 | Oceans Futures, World Wildlife Fund
Washington, DC
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Environmental Peacebuilding (EPB) offers a framework for designing and promoting conservation interventions that mitigate conflict drivers and promote inclusive approaches that safeguard people and nature. These approaches have been developed and successfully implemented in forestry and freshwater ecosystems; however, EPB has developed more slowly in the ocean space. Our vision is that conflict-transformative marine conservation will deliver peace, prosperity, and human and natural security; to succeed, the connections between these dimensions deserve and require more attention.

This event will familiarize the environmental peacebuilding community with WWF's Blue Peace Framework, increase the role of ocean conservation in environmental peacebuilding, and increase awareness of environmental peacebuilding in DC policy and conservation circles.

Speakers:

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Mendenhall, Associate Professor, Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island
Opening Remarks: Johan Bergenas, Senior Vice President of WWF Oceans
Presenting WWF's Blue Peace Framework: Preston Whitt, Senior Program Officer at World Wildlife Fund
Moderator: Sarah Glaser, Vice President of Oceans at WWF

Schedule:

3:00-3:10 Opening remarks, Johan Bergenas, SVP WWF Oceans

3:10-3:40 Keynote speech, Dr. Elizabeth Mendenhall, University of Rhode Island Department of Marine Affairs

3:40-3:50 Presentation of WWF’s Blue Peace Framework

3:50-4:30 Panel on Marine Coastal Heritage Zones with Steve MacLean, WWF Oceans Arctic program director, and audience Q&A

4:30-5:30 Happy hour

Please join us for this Path to Ottawa event on April 28, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:30 pm ET.