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The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice united 60 world leaders and 190 ministers in a bold push to strengthen global ocean governance. The high seas treaty gained significant support and is expected to come into force by January 2026. This will enable the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in international waters, targeting 30% ocean protection by 2030. Four additional countries joined calls to halt deep-sea mining, raising the total to 37. France faced criticism for not banning bottom trawling in MPAs, while French Polynesia announced a five million sq km protected zone – the world’s largest. Yet, with less than 3% of oceans currently fully protected, urgent action remains essential. (The Guardian)
Why does this matter? The five-day meeting, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, was attended by 15,000 participants – triple the turnout seen at UNOC2 in Lisbon 2022, demonstrating a significant rise in global interest in Ocean issues and renewed confidence in multilateral cooperation. Strong progress was made with the launch of new initiatives such as the Ocean Tourism Pact and the One Ocean Finance Facility.
The US did not participate, opting instead to send observers, a reflection of President Donald Trump’s intention to permit deep-sea mining in North American and international waters. However, there is growing international pushback against this activity. EU Council President António Costa voiced support for a suspension, while French President Emmanuel Macron called the practice “madness”. In November 2023, Rio Tinto also confirmed that it does not plan to participate in deep-sea mining activities, stating that not enough is known about its impact. The firm added that it should not proceed without robust scientific evidence to disprove its potential for serious environmental and socio-economic harm.
At UNOC3, pledges came in from the European Commission, which committed €1bn ($1.2bn) for ocean conservation, science and sustainable fisheries, while Germany launched a €100m initiative to clear munitions from the Baltic and North Seas. New Zealand committed $52m to Pacific Ocean governance, Spain declared five new MPAs, and Indonesia and the World Bank launched a “Coral Bond” for reef protection. A 37-nation coalition led by Canada and Panama also introduced the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean address underwater noise pollution.
Additional pledges included €3bn from development banks, including the European Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to combat ocean plastic pollution and $2.5bn from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean for sustainable ocean economies. French development bank AFD committed €2m to extend coastal preservation in North Africa, and a grant of €1.8m was allocated to support MPAs in Costa Rica and the Mediterranean.
Immediately preceding UNOC3 was the Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF) in Monaco. The event saw an €8.7bn pledge to support the development of a sustainable blue economy. Backed by public banks, private investors and philanthropists, €1bn has already been deployed or is investment-ready. Additionally, 80 organisations from 25 countries, representing $600bn in turnover, backed the Business in Ocean call to action. The #BackBlue Ocean Finance Commitment was also recognised as a formal BEFF outcome, now covering $3.4tn in assets under management.
It is promising to see growing momentum for ocean action, and it will be interesting to see how the commitments made this year progress into real-world outcomes. The fourth UNOC will be co-hosted by Chile and South Korea in 2028. It will provide further opportunities to make headway before the Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources reaches its deadline in 2030.