NICE (FRANCE) — The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference concluded with
more than 170 countries adopting an inter-governmentally agreed declaration
committing to urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the world's oceans.
The political declaration titled ‘Our ocean, Our future:
United for urgent action’ calls for concrete steps to expand marine protected
areas, decarbonise maritime transport, combat marine pollution, and mobilise
finance for vulnerable coastal and island nations, among others.
The declaration -- together with bold voluntary
commitments by states and other entities -- constitutes the Nice Ocean Action
Plan, successfully concluding the five-day conference with a boost to
environmental multilateralism.
“Pledges made this week must be rigorously implemented,
tracked, and scaled,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic
and Social Affairs Li Junhua, who served as the conference Secretary-General.
“The momentum we have generated must carry us forward to
COP30, global and regional ocean forums, and national decision-making, and
translate into decisive national action.”
Voluntary commitments made during the conference include:
The European Commission, as part of its Ocean Pact, announced an investment of
1 billion EUR to support ocean conservation, science and sustainable fishing.
French Polynesia pledged to create the world’s largest
marine protected area to safeguard its seas, covering its entire exclusive
economic zone, approximately 5 million square km (1.93 million square miles).
New Zealand committed over $52 million towards supporting
enhanced ocean governance, management and science in the Pacific Islands
region.
Germany launched a 100 million EUR immediate action
programme for the recovery and clearance of legacy munitions in the German
Baltic and North Seas -- the first of its kind.
Indonesia, the World Bank and other partners launched a
Coral Bond, a groundbreaking financial instrument designed to mobilise private
capital to conserve coral reef ecosystems within marine protected areas in
Indonesia.
Thirty-seven countries, led by Panama and Canada,
launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean -- the first high-level
political initiative to tackle ocean noise pollution on a global scale.
Italy committed 6.5 million EUR to strengthen
surveillance by the Coast Guard in marine protected areas and on oil platforms,
including through a satellite surveillance system capable of detecting
potential oil spills in real time.
Canada contributed 9 million US dollars to the Ocean Risk
and Resilience Action Alliance to help Small Island Developing States and
coastal developing countries increase their resilience to the impacts of
climate change through nature-based solutions.
Spain committed to creating five new marine protected
areas that would allow protection of 25 per cent of its marine territory.
A collective of United Nations agencies and global
partners launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance -- a bold new
effort to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and
blue economy sectors.
A United Nations Ocean Conference report, listing the
voluntary commitments in an annex, will be published after the summit.
In a big step towards entry into force 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 Agreement), 19 more states ratified the agreement in the
margins of the conference, and 20 more signed it, bringing the total number of
signatures to 136, and ratifications to 50 states plus the European Union.
Ten more ratifications are needed for the agreement to
enter into force.
The BBNJ Agreement, adopted in June 2023, is a crucial
legal instrument to protect marine life and ecosystems in the two-thirds of the
ocean that lie beyond any country’s jurisdiction.
From June 9 to 13, as many as 55 heads of state and
government, along with 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and
science, participated in the UN Ocean Conference co-hosted by France and Costa
Rica, including more than 450 side events, to accelerate action and mobilise
all actors to conserve and sustainably use the world's oceans.
Ten ocean action panels produced forward-looking
recommendations to guide implementation across key themes -- from marine
pollution and nature-based solutions to the role of women, youth, and indigenous
peoples in ocean governance.
The fourth UN Ocean Conference in 2028 will be co-hosted
by Chile and Korea.
