Over the past decades, many human activities have focused on the exploitation of marine resources. Fishing, seaweed farming, illegal mining, pollutions and climate change have impacted the balance of marine ecosystem. To address these threats, North Sulawesi took the initiative to organize World Ocean Conference in Manado on the 11th – 15th May 2009 which involved other countries and international organizations. North Sulawesi pursued a number of efforts to lobby and host the World Ocean Conference 2009. This thesis focuses on two research questions: First, how did the local government of North Sulawesi establish and build strategic partnerships with national and international actors to initiate World Ocean Conference 2009? Second, in what ways does the World Ocean Conference 2009 contributes to the development of North Sulawesi? The method used in this research is qualitative. The relevant data is collected through literature sources such as books, academics journal/articles, and other form of document such as progress report. To build the international strategic partnership, the government of North Sulawesi has been through a process of communication and diplomacy, both at national and international level. This effort aimed to gain the support from Indonesian central government, as well as other countries and international organizations. At the end, this event gave many advantages to the development of North Sulawesi.