Written by Emilie Sterna

14 June 2025 

The health of our oceans is crucial to the future of our planet, affecting climate regulation,  biodiversity, food security and the lives of billions of people. In June 2025, world leaders, activists,  intergovernmental organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), civil society  organisations, the scientific community, and local communities gathered in Nice, France for the  third United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference (UNOC3). From 9 to 13 June 2025, France and Costa  Rica co-hosted this conference, which was attended by almost 200 countries and aimed to  accelerate global action for the sustainable use of the ocean, building on the United Nations’  commitments under Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14). This article aims to highlight the  most significant outcomes and action plans, as well as the ongoing challenges.

I. Purpose and Main Themes 

The United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in 2025 follows two previous conferences:  one held in New York in 2017, co-hosted by Sweden and Fiji, and another in Lisbon in 2022, co hosted by Kenya and Portugal. UNOC3 focuses on “Accelerating action and mobilising actors to  conserve and sustainably use the ocean.” “Action” is therefore the main theme of the event.  UNOC3’s objectives are divided into three priorities: working together to protect the ocean more  effectively, mobilising financing for SDG14 and supporting the development of a sustainable blue  economy, and strengthening, sharing, and spreading ocean science and knowledge to help make  better decisions to protect the ocean and support people who depend on it. The conference is  divided into two main categories: plenary sessions, where United Nations member states can make  statements regarding their commitments to the ocean, and ten Ocean Action Panels, each focusing  on a different theme.

The main purpose of the conference is to strengthen the implementation of SDG14  concerning the marine environment. SDG14, also known as “Life Below Water”, is one of the 17  global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable  Development. It focuses on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development and is divided into ten targets to highlight different areas, such as  marine pollution, conservation through marine protected areas, ocean acidification, regulation of  fishing practices, and increased research to foster scientific knowledge and awareness. Ocean  forums therefore serve as the principal means of intensifying the requirements of SDG14. UNOC3  also aims to encourage more countries to sign and ratify the High Seas Treaty, which seeks to  protect 30% of the world’s waters by 2030. The treaty, adopted in 2023, requires ratification by 60  countries before it can enter into force. Prior to the conference, only 31 countries had ratified it.  This treaty is designed to protect marine life, make further progress in curbing plastics, and combat  illegal fishing in the oceans. At the end of the week, the conference concluded with the Nice Ocean  Action Plan, which consists of a political declaration and a list of voluntary commitments from  stakeholders.

II. Key Outcomes and Action Plans 

The 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) gathered governments, scientists, civil society,  and industry leaders to accelerate progress toward the sustainable use and conservation of the  ocean. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Nice Ocean Action Plan. This plan  includes a political declaration entitled “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action,” which  calls for concrete measures such as combating pollution, regulating activities on the high seas, and  mobilising funding for coastal and island nations. In addition, the plan features more than 800  voluntary commitments made since the previous conference in Lisbon by all kinds of actors.

Among the main outcomes, the conference ended with 50 countries having ratified the High  Seas Treaty and dozens of others promising to do so by the end of the year. The speed at which  countries ratified this treaty during the conference is a record for a UN agreement. Tony Long,  Chief Executive Officer of Global Fishing Watch, an NGO dedicated to ocean sustainability,  declared that “UNOC has given us a glimmer of hope that the challenges facing our ocean are being  seen and will be tackled,” demonstrating the importance of forums like this and the global  momentum to safeguard the oceans. Indeed, prior to UNOC3, confidence in multilateral projects for  solving global challenges was low, but the strong commitment made during this forum shows the  opposite. However, major powers such as the United States and China, although signatories, have  not yet ratified the treaty. Furthermore, on Monday, June 9, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron opened the conference by warning against unregulated  mining in the deep sea, making reference to the critical minerals extraction permit issued by Donald  Trump in international waters in April 2025. This position was supported by more than 30 countries,  which called for a moratorium. Nevertheless, the US President has not reversed his decision. As for  Russia, Moscow does not support the treaty due to concerns about its impact on fisheries.

Progress towards reducing plastic pollution has been made. Indeed, plastic pollution is a  major threat to the oceans as there are 200 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and this number is  expected to triple by 2040 if no action is taken. All kinds of plastics are dangerous for marine  animals. This is why, during UNOC3, 97 countries signed a common political declaration  expressing their desire for the creation of an ambitious treaty on this major issue. Furthermore,  French Polynesia has banned extractive fishing and mining in its own waters, resulting in the  creation of the world’s largest marine protected area (900,000 sq km). Along with commitments  made by other countries, 10% of the ocean is now protected.

Other progress has been made. Here are some voluntary commitments made during the conference: – China, which operates the world’s biggest fleet, has ratified the Port State Measures Agreement,  which aims to eliminate illegal and unregulated fishing.

– The European Commission has announced an investment of one billion euros to support ocean  conservation, science, and sustainable fisheries.

– 37 countries have created the “High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean,” a coalition led by  Panama and Canada to reduce underwater noise pollution.

– The World Bank and Indonesia are launching an initiative to finance coral conservation in  Indonesia.

– 103 countries have ratified “Fish 1,” an agreement from the World Trade Organization that aims  to stop subsidies for illegal fishing.

– 37 countries have followed the call of 2,000 scientists who have recommended stopping all deep sea exploration and mining while research is ongoing to prevent threats.

III. Next Steps and Ongoing Challenges 

The next step for UNOC3 is to look ahead to the next edition of the UN Ocean Conference,  to be held in 2028 and co-hosted by the Republic of Korea and Chile. This next conference is  approaching the deadline for SDG14. Developments and ambitions regarding this goal will  therefore need to be closely tracked. In addition, throughout this year, it will be important to follow  the commitments of the dozens of countries that promised to ratify the High Seas Treaty by the end  of the year. If these commitments are fulfilled, the threshold of 60 ratifications required for the  treaty to enter into force could be reached, meaning that 30% of the ocean should then be protected.  Nevertheless, without the participation of major powers such as Russia, China, or the US, progress  remains limited. For instance, China does not want to take part in global efforts to reduce  destructive fishing practices, which limits progress, as China operates the world’s largest fishing  fleet. Moreover, some countries only restrict the most damaging fishing methods. However,  according to British scientist David Attenborough, unless these practices are banned, protection  exists only on paper. Regarding the positions taken on plastic, among the ten largest oil-producing  countries, only Canada has signed in favour of creating a treaty to address the issue. This  demonstrates that, to effectively overcome a challenge, all global actors must commit to meaningful  progress and results. Of course, a treaty on this issue could impact the revenues of oil-producing  countries if production needs to be reduced. Finally, small island developing states have asked for  stronger commitments on climate-related loss and damage, saying that their voices are important in  talks about protecting the ocean.

In conclusion, the 2025 UNOC3 in Nice has reinvigorated global commitment to  safeguarding our oceans. While the conference delivered important outcomes and a strong action  plan, much work remains to turn promises into tangible progress. This conference shows that the  international community can work together and must continue to do so to address increasing  challenges, from climate change and pollution to overfishing and biodiversity loss, to ensure that  the 2030 Agenda for protecting our planet is achieved. UNOC3 served as a major event for forging  new partnerships, sharing innovative solutions, and setting ambitious global goals for ocean  protection.

References: 

Conférence des Nations Unies sur l’Océan Nice, France 2025. (n.d.). 3ème Conférence des Nations  unies sur l’Océan Nice, Juin 2025. https://unocnice2025.org/

High Seas Alliance. (n.d.). Signature and ratification progress table. https://highseasalliance.org/ treaty-ratification/table-of-countries/

Le Courrier du Vietnam. (2025, June 13). La Conférence des Nations unies sur l’Océan clôturée  avec l’adoption du “Plan d’action de Nice pour l’Océan”. https://lecourrier.vn/la-conference-des nations-unies-sur-locean-cloturee-avec-ladoption-du-plan-daction-de-nice-pour-locean/ 1284915.html

Robinet, F. (2025, June 13). Une vague d’engagements pour clore la conférence de Nice. Nations  Unis. https://news.un.org/fr/story/2025/06/1156416

Stallard, E. (2025, June 14). ‘Glimmer of hope’ for marine life at UN Ocean conference. BBC News.  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq69e4j6jz8o

Stallard, E. (2025, June 9). Oceans cannot become ‘wild west’, warns UN chief. BBC News. https:// www.bbc.com/news/articles/c057qrd9eejo

United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine  resources for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14

United Nations. (n.d.). 2025 UN Ocean Conference Nice, France | 9 June – 13 June 2025. https:// sdgs.un.org/conferences/ocean2025

United Nations Ocean Conference Nice, France 205 (n.d.). List of the 10 Ocean Action Panel  agendas of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference. https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/ 2025-06/UNOC3 OAP List Final.pdf

Vie Publique. (2025, June 16). Conférence des Nations unies sur l’océan à Nice : des engagements  pour protéger la haute mer. République Française. https://www.vie-publique.fr/en-bref/299075- conference-des-nations-unies-sur-locean-de-nice-quel-bilan

Vitoria Tereza, A. (2022, August 23). Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.  UNESCO. https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/sustainable-development-goal-14-life-below-water/