Almost two years ago, the country's top political leader was appointed goodwill ambassador for the expedition. CEO and expedition leader Haakon Vatle said at the time that it was an honor to welcome him on board.

- The Prime Minister is also co-chair of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. This inspires and motivates us in our mission to raise awareness of the ocean's crucial role for a sustainable future," says Vatle.

The Prime Minister himself says the One Ocean Expedition is making a big difference in the quest for a more sustainable ocean and believes the key to a fair, prosperous and sustainable planet lies in how we manage the world's oceans. 

- The science is clear: We have reached a tipping point in ocean health. Urgent action is needed to save, preserve and revitalize our shared ocean. In 2025, France and Costa Rica will host the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Our goal is that all ocean and coastal states will commit to sustainable ocean planning as the members of the Ocean Panel, the panel that I co-chair with the President of Palau, have done," says Støre.

One Ocean Week
The government's ocean conference was held in Bergen and Håkonshallen during One Ocean Week 2023. Here, the Prime Minister declared Bergen as the ocean capital of Norway and said that if Western Norway does not succeed, Norway will not succeed.

Participants at the conference included Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world's foremost researchers and explorers, often referred to as Her Deepness.

You can watch the conference in its entirety here.

A lot of attention
- The Norwegian ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl created a lot of attention for the ocean and its wellbeing on its last expedition around the world. The new expedition will take a different and bold sailing route, but the goal of this amazing ship remains the same: To share knowledge and raise awareness of the importance of the ocean for our shared, sustainable future. I am therefore thrilled and honored to continue my role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the next One Ocean Expedition that will take place in 2025 to 2026. We know that if managed properly, the ocean can provide solutions to pressing challenges such as climate change, energy supply and food security. This is a core message from the Ocean Panel. I encourage the expedition to continue to discuss and focus on this in ports and during voyages. The expedition of Statsraad Lehmkuhl will also continue to support the ambitions of UN Ocean Decade for better ocean research, coordination and collaboration. The vessel is indeed a unique arena for bringing together forces from academia, the private sector, civil society and governments. Knowledge and expertise can be shared. New partnerships can be created. And ocean data and observations can be collected," says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in his greeting to the One Ocean Expedition.

You can see the full greeting here: