UN Ocean Conference: "Curtain Raiser" Briefing Secretary-General of the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) Li Junhua said, “The future of the ocean is not predetermined. It will be shaped by the decisions and the actions we are making now.”
Today (27 May), Li Junhua, together with High-level representatives from France and Costa Rica briefed the press about the upcoming UN Ocean Conference.
He said, “The ocean—our planet’s life-support system—is in a state of emergency. The evidence is overwhelming: rising temperatures, acidifying waters, plastic choking marine life, disappearing habitats, and the relentless overexploitation of resources.”
He continued, “The health of the ocean is declining, and with it, the well-being of the human being. We actually depend on our ocean supply lines. However, there is still time to change our course—if we act collectively.”
He said, “From 9 to 13 June 2025, the global community will gather in Nice, France, for the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, or UNOC3. This will not be just another routine gathering. We hope that it is a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action and mobilize all stakeholders across sectors and borders.”
He also said, “UNOC3 will culminate in the adoption of the “Nice Ocean Action Plan” - a concise, action-oriented declaration, along with new and expanded voluntary commitments. This plan will be our collective blueprint to advance SDG 14: to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas, and marine resources.”
He concluded, “The future of the ocean is not predetermined. It will be shaped by the decisions and the actions we are making now. Let us choose a healthy, resilient ocean—for our generation, and also for generations to come.”
French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont stated, “The goal for this conference in Nice, for France, is a Nice Agreement that would be for the oceans what the Paris Agreement was for the climate ten years ago.”
Maritza Chan Valverde, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, said, “Accelerating action means cutting decision-making time from years to months, mobilizing all actors, engaging 195 governments, more than 1,000 cities, more 500 corporations and billions of citizens simultaneously. This is an opportunity for the United Nations to be together and to show that we can deliver as one.”
She concluded, “The third United Nations Ocean Conference will either reverse ocean decline by 2030 or document humanity's failure to act. Five days, one ocean, a unique opportunity.”
The high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (the 2025 UN Ocean Conference) will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica and held in Nice, France, from 9 – 13 June 2025.
The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”.
The Conference will involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together Governments, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, other interested international bodies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as actions taken towards, the implementation of Goal 14.
The Conference will build on the previous UN Ocean Conferences, hosted by Sweden and Fiji in 2017 in New York and by Portugal and Kenya in 2022 in Lisbon.
The Nice Ocean Action Plan, made up of a political declaration and a list of voluntary commitments from stakeholders, will be adopted following international discussions during the Conference.
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