From the 9th to the 14th of June 2025, the United Nation (UN) Member States gathered in Nice, France to discuss the political fate of our ocean. These high-level conferences are meant to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 Life Below Water: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” The overarching theme for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) was “accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
At the beginning of June 2025, scientists convened ahead of negotiations in Nice, offering recommendations to influence political discussions toward stronger ocean protections.
Among those recommendations: restoring and protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, ending plastic pollution, ensuring equitable sharing of marine genetic resources, decarbonizing maritime transport, improving the transparency of fisheries, halting harmful activities in the deep sea, and increasing knowledge production.
As the week of negotiations aimed at strengthening existing frameworks and launching initiatives rather than negotiating a binding treaty came to an end, civil society reached another type of consensus. On one hand, the conference was a huge success in acknowledging the crucial importance of a healthy ocean and in raising awareness through discussion, emotional engagement, and learning from others’ experiences. On the other hand, participants left with mixed feelings and a sense of emptiness when it came to concrete political commitments. On this front, the Green Zone, which welcomed thousands of visitors for two weeks and was the meeting point for civil society, may have served its purpose better than the Blue Zone, where negotiators met.
The UNOC 3 served as a stepping-stone to promote the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement an instrument that will finally provide a stronger framework to establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) beyond national borders and set up financial mechanisms. It will enter into force on the 19th of January 2026 as it got ratified by sixty States in September. Moreover, the Secretariat registered more than 800 voluntary commitments during UNOC3, alongside pledges from various countries to expand MPA coverage and calls from ninty-six countries to reach consensus on ending plastic pollution. Regardless, some still feel the path ahead is long.
Absences and unspoken words at the conference were as telling as the big declarations. The absence of the U.S. delegation was particularly noted, especially as the country has recently opened the door to deep-sea mining operations in domestic and international waters. This move was strongly criticized by Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres, French President Macron, and Brazilian President Lula at the opening ceremony, who warned against turning the ocean into the “Wild West” or a “stage for geopolitical disputes.” Also absent was the corporate sector – unlike climate COPs (the yearly Conference that gathers UN Members to discuss climate change) which are now magnets for thousands of lobbyists oceans did not seem worth their time or money. Except perhaps for the fishing sector, which, although silent at the conference itself, would not miss such an opportunity to lobby. Their main concern is to keep the dialogue as far as possible from curbing harmful subsidies—those granted to destructive fishing practices.
That said, we must acknowledge the efforts of certain companies that have increased their funding for ocean research in recent years and have shown growing interest in its relevance for multiple economic sectors food, livelihoods, tourism, and even insurance.
Climate change was on everyone’s lips, yet no one saw fit to reiterate the commitment to “transition away from fossil fuels” as agreed in the UAE consensus at COP28. Where does this tacit silence come from? The absence of fossil fuel lobbyists who ensured the topic stayed off the table? I wonder.
Truthfully, silence may be preferable to loud declarations countered by facts, such as when the French President Macron announced that trawling will be banned in more areas to guarantee strong protection, only for NGOs to point out that those areas are already inaccessible to trawlers.
In any case, these high-level conferences are never just about the ocean conservation measures. They are also about finance; with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 still being the most underfunded of the 2030 Agenda, the Global South continues to point out that the criteria for accessing financial flows are unfair and prevent them from fully benefiting from international funds. This is all the more true for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), reminding the world that they are treated like “sea graves” by investors, even as they bear the brunt of climate impacts they contributed least to. These conferences are also about countries negotiating capacity-building for their projects, ensuring effective implementation, facilitating technological and data transfer and more.
But we must remember that in ocean conservation, the stakes are not only global. They must also be addressed locally–equally if not increasingly so. Some may raise their eyebrows at local politicians declaring they have long acted for ocean protection; yet the Mediterranean Sea remains one of the most depleted seas. Still, we should grant their words some accuracy: grassroots (or should I say waveroot?) actions remain the most effective, bringing rapid, tangible benefits. And, not to be dismissed lightly, they help us stay positive and hopeful.
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