25/04/2026
During Earth Day, April 22, ThinkLAB Innovations join the petition For Future Generations to Establish high Seas marine reservations.
The New York filing was delivered by Victor Tafur, Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace University; Carol Peralta, Founder of Turtle Stewards International; renowned environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa, Jr.; Krystel Peñaflor, Founder of Youth Climate Navigators; and Columbia University student representatives Sofia Choudhri, Madeline Lee, Minna Xu, Kate Morton, and Kelly Wang.
The Manila filing was delivered by Alexandra Therese Derpo, Co-convener & Global Youth Lead of Global Guardians of the SEA; Jean Coleen Araña, Founder of ThinkLab Innovations; Thea Laurel, Program Manager at Palawan NGO Network Inc.; and Arvhie Santos, Founder of Justitia Lab.
📰 PRESS RELEASE | YOUTH-LED MOVEMENT FILES PETITION TO ESTABLISH "HIGH SEAS MARINE RESERVATIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS" IN SIMULTANEOUS EARTH DAY FILINGS
NEW YORK & MANILA — On Earth Day 2026, Global Guardians of the SEA, a youth-led coalition, filed the People's Petition to “Establish Marine Reservations for Future Generations Throughout the High Seas” simultaneously at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines in Manila.
The petition, signed by 171 Filipino SEA-Tizens, calls on the Philippine government to declare the high seas as “Marine Reservations for Future Generations” in the Asia High Seas between the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China. This high seas Marine Protected Area (MPA) is proposed under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty, which entered into force January 17, 2026.
Global Guardians of the SEA unites students, legal experts, marine scientists, and coastal community advocates under the counsel of renowned environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa, Jr., architect of the landmark Oposa v. Factoran case establishing intergenerational equity.
The New York filing was delivered by Victor Tafur, Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace University; Carol Peralta, Founder of Turtle Stewards International; renowned environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa, Jr.; Krystel Peñaflor, Founder of Youth Climate Navigators; and Columbia University student representatives Sofia Choudhri, Madeline Lee, Minna Xu, Kate Morton, and Kelly Wang.
The Manila filing was delivered by Alexandra Therese Derpo, Co-convener & Global Youth Lead of Global Guardians of the SEA; Jean Coleen Araña, Founder of ThinkLab Innovations; Thea Laurel, Program Manager at Palawan NGO Network Inc.; and Arvhie Santos, Founder of Justitia Lab.
The petition calls on the Philippine government to:
1️⃣ Formally endorse the establishment of Marine Reservations for Future Generations as a national policy priority;
2️⃣ Initiate preparation of a comprehensive BBNJ Marine Protected Area proposal for the Asia High Seas, including scientific assessments, legal analysis, stakeholder consultations, and management frameworks;
3️⃣ Establish a multi-stakeholder taskforce with government agencies, scientists, legal experts, youth representatives, and coastal community advocates;
4️⃣ Engage regional partners through ASEAN mechanisms to build consensus and co-sponsorship;
5️⃣ Submit a proposal to the Conference of the Parties of the BBNJ Treaty at the earliest opportunity.
The Global Guardians of the SEA has launched a global signature campaign to establish Marine Reservations for Future Generations throughout the rest of the world’s high seas.
Be a SEA-Tizen. Sign our petition and join our growing movement: change.org/marinereservations4futuregenerations 🌊✒️
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