After two editions held in New York (2015) and Lisbon (2022), France and Costa Rica will co-host the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025.
Ten years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement, UNOC 3 aims to bring together United Nations member states, specialized agencies, civil society, the private sector, and international donors to achieve, through effective ocean agreements, what the Paris Agreement accomplished for climate in 2015.
Macron’s envoy, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, speaking at the French Embassy in Madrid, guaranteed that the upcoming Ocean Summit will accelerate the development of necessary protection policies.
Ocean Summit
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s Ambassador for Maritime Affairs and special envoy of President Emmanuel Macron for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), stated on Wednesday that this meeting is expected to speed up the adoption of policies for ocean protection and sustainable development.
This was announced during a virtual briefing at the French Embassy in Madrid for the conference, which France and Costa Rica are organizing in Nice from June 9 to 13, bringing together around a hundred heads of state and government.
He mentioned that the approval of the « Ocean Action Plan » is anticipated, alongside discussions on blue finance and the blue economy, as well as the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge about the ocean. The private sector, he added, will make significant announcements regarding blue finance, and the Mediterranean blue economy will have a special high-level panel during the Ocean Conference.
The special envoy also announced that among other topics, the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (BBNJ) will be discussed. Other issues such as plastic pollution and deep-sea mining will be addressed in their respective forums — the former in Geneva and the latter in Kingston, Jamaica.
A Strong Ocean Action Plan
D’Arvor emphasized that France’s priorities include strengthening ocean governance and protection, focusing on islands and biodiversity, as well as dedicated space for science and knowledge. Nice will host the third conference, following the first in New York (UNOC1) and the second in Lisbon (UNOC2), representing an opportunity to meet several current and future goals, said Gabrielle Rousseau, ministerial adviser for UNOC3.
Ahead of and alongside the political conference, France will host additional events such as the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice (June 6-7); the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco (June 8); and the Coalition Summit on Sea Level Rise and Coastal Resilience (June 7).
The ocean, as a climate regulator and the planet’s largest ecosystem supporting the livelihoods of millions, will be placed at the heart of the international agenda in the face of current and future climate, environmental, and social challenges.
— Efe / efe.com
Source: Especes Menacees
