Mexico Oceans Caucus Officially Relaunched
On November 12, 2025, with support from the Global Environment Facility and International Community Foundation, the Mexico Oceans Caucus, a vital, multi-party parliamentary group, was officially re-launched in the LXVI Legislature of the Mexican Congress. With the leadership of more than 20 members of the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies, this platform aims to strengthen legislative cooperation, advance science-based policymaking, and promote a shared national agenda for the sustainable use and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems. The Conservation Council of Nations (dba ICCF Group) will serve as the Technical Secretariat for this Caucus, responsible for organising training and technical support activities, including multi-sectoral dialogue tables, field visits to strengthen knowledge, exchanges of international experiences, and the generation of specialised technical inputs.
This relaunch reaffirms Mexico’s commitment to the health of our oceans and the well-being of the communities that rely on them. The Mexico Oceans Caucus was first launched in the LXV legislature following a 2022 parliamentary field mission to Sonora as a part of the GEF-funded, UNEP-implemented International Waters project titled “Facilitating dialogue and strengthening transboundary cooperation with legislators to improve marine governance.” In the years following, members of the Caucus have expanded Mexico’s impact on marine conservation on the national, regional, and international level, introducing bills that prohibit harmful practices in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), create meaningful tools like the National Fishing Atlas, and adopt proven international guidance such as the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA).
The previous success of the Mexico Oceans Caucus in shining a spotlight on marine conservation led to the ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), also known as the High Seas Treaty, in September 2025. While working toward the relaunch of the Caucus, legislative members from all political parties continued to champion good marine governance at home and abroad, demonstrating the efficacy of Mexico’s leadership.
The Mexico Oceans Caucus in the LXVI legislature will continue to play an essential role in marine conservation, building on the efforts of the Oceans Caucus in the previous legislature. At the relaunching, Hon. Deputy Marcela Guerra Castillo announced the five major areas of focus for the Caucus in this new term: conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems; governance for inclusive and responsible fisheries; regenerative aquaculture; management of ghost fishing gear; and blue budgets and sustainable financing. Working with the public as well as other government entities, the Caucus reinforces the importance and impact that a unified approach to marine conservation can have on our oceans, seas, and coasts. The relaunch marks an important milestone for sustaining the International Waters program beyond GEF project closure at the end of 2025.
The ICCF Group wishes to thank Senator Ricardo Anaya; Senator Ivideliza Reyes Hernández; Senator Maki Ortiz Domínguez; Senator Gina Gerardina Campuzano González; Senator Karen Castrejón Trujillo; Senator Susana del Carmen Zataraín García; Deputy Marcela Guerra Castillo; Deputy Azucena Arreola Trinidad; Deputy Gabriela Benavides; Deputy Humberto Coss y León Zúñiga; Deputy Joaquín Zebadúa; Deputy Julia Licet Jiménez Angulo; Deputy Ma. del Carmen Cabrera Lagunas; Deputy Rocío López Gorosave; Deputy Rosalinda Savala Díaz; Deputy Felicita Pompa Robles; Deputy Any Marilú Porras Baylón; Deputy Daniel Fidel Chimal; and Deputy Karen Yaiti Calcaneo Constantino.
About the project
The project leverages the Parliamentary Conservation Caucus model to build high-level political consensus for conservation in Latin America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. This model is based on convening conservation and ocean caucuses in legislatures to help build political will and capacity to assess and address conservation and maritime natural resource challenges among the highest levels of government. Through this project, the ICCF Group works to raise awareness about blue economy opportunities and to elevate marine issues amongst legislators in order to facilitate regional cooperation.
For more information, please contact Eleonora Aranda, ICCF Mexico Director, earanda@internationalconservation.org.
Words by the ICCF Group: Mikayla Shaffer, Katherine Brantley, and Eleonora Aranda.