Context:

• India has long viewed the oceans as central to global equity and its own future.
• During the negotiation of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it stood with vulnerable island states to uphold the seabed as the “common heritage of mankind,” reflecting a principled commitment to fairness.
• This stance built on Jawaharlal Nehru’s early recognition of the ocean’s importance to India’s security and prosperity.
• Today, as climate change, rising sea levels, and overfishing place unprecedented stress on marine ecosystems—especially in the highly vulnerable Indian Ocean—India again faces a historic responsibility.
• The challenge now is to lead in practice, transforming the Indian Ocean into a space of sustainability, innovation, and resilience rather than competition.
• This article highlights India’s historic responsibility and emerging opportunity to transform the Indian Ocean into the cradle of a new blue economy—anchored in sustainability, resilience, equity, and cooperative regional leadership.

India’s Blue Ocean Strategy: A New Vision for the Indian Ocean

• India’s proposed Blue Ocean Strategy rests on three core pillars—stewardship, resilience, and inclusive growth.
• This is aimed at transforming the Indian Ocean into a zone of cooperation and sustainability rather than rivalry.
• Stewardship of the Ocean Commons
  • India should reinforce the idea of the Indian Ocean as a shared global commons.
  • By promoting ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable fisheries, India can lead cooperative ocean governance and discourage competitive exploitation.
• Building Climate Resilience
  • With climate risks intensifying, India can champion resilience by creating a Regional Resilience and Ocean Innovation Hub.
  • Such a platform would enhance ocean monitoring, early-warning systems, and technology transfer to vulnerable island and African coastal states.
• Promoting Inclusive and Green Growth
  • Sectors like green shipping, offshore renewables, sustainable aquaculture, and marine biotechnology offer climate-compatible growth opportunities.
  • Unlocking this potential requires long-term investment and coordinated regional action.

Global Finance Turning Blue

• Recent global initiatives signal rising financial commitment to ocean action.
• Forums like Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF) 2025 and COP30 have mobilised tens of billions of dollars for blue economy projects, bringing oceans firmly into climate finance priorities.
  • At the 2025 BEFF in Monaco, stakeholders showcased a €25 billion pipeline of ocean investments and announced €8.7 billion in new commitments, evenly split between public and private sources.
  • Public development banks, through the Finance in Common Ocean Coalition, pledged $7.5 billion annually, while the Development Bank of Latin America raised its blue economy target to $2.5 billion by 2030.
  • This push was reinforced at COP30 in Belém, where Brazil launched the One Ocean Partnership, committing to mobilise $20 billion for ocean action by 2030.
• India should capitalise on this momentum by establishing an Indian Ocean Blue Fund.
• Seeded by India and supported by development banks, philanthropy, and private investors, it could convert global pledges into tangible regional projects.

Security Through Sustainability in the Indian Ocean

• Debates on the Indian Ocean often focus on naval power and strategic competition, but true ocean security begins with protecting ecosystems and addressing climate threats.
• Challenges such as illegal fishing, coral degradation, and rising storm intensity undermine livelihoods and regional stability.
• India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine reframes maritime security around sustainability, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
• By integrating environmental stewardship with maritime awareness, disaster response, and regional collaboration, India can promote a vision of responsibility over rivalry — positioning the Indian Ocean as a global model of sustainable and cooperative security.

India’s Enduring Environmental Vision

• India’s commitment to balancing development and environmental protection dates back to 1972, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi warned against impoverishing either people or nature — a principle that remains deeply relevant today.
• Recent forums such as COP30 in Belém and the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg have underscored the central role of marine and terrestrial ecosystems in climate stability, sustainable development, and resilience, while emphasising equity and finance for developing countries.
• Momentum is Building
  • With the outcomes of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, COP30 in Belém, and the entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for ocean governance.
  • India’s potential ratification of BBNJ offers a chance to lead through innovations like green shipping corridors, blue bonds, inclusive technology transfer, and well-governed ocean carbon solutions.

India’s Opportunity to Lead the Indian Ocean Region

• India’s ocean diplomacy legacy gives it credibility, while its future ambitions confer responsibility.
• Through platforms like the Indian Ocean Rim Association, India can help shape a sustainable and just blue economy for the region.
• The challenge ahead is to translate vision into finance, partnerships, and lasting institutions.
• By leading with ambition, humility, and inclusivity, India can show that cooperation and solidarity in ocean governance can prevail over rivalry — and that the Indian Ocean can anchor a new, sustainable global future.