Vanuatu Climate Minister Ralph Regenvanu On UN Ocean Conference
Government of Vanuatu - Latest News [Page 1]
Nice Action Plan comes ahead of anticipated ruling from International Court of Justice that could set path for climate action linked to accountability More >>
At The ICJ, The Global South Has Presented A World Of Climate Change Impacts & A Dire Need For Climate Justice
Friday, 13 December 2024, 9:29 pm | Government of Vanuatu
Statement after statement makes the case that destruction of the climate system is unlawful and big polluters must be held accountable. More >>
Vanuatu Statement On The Remarks Of US And Australia At Landmark ICJ Climate Case
Thursday, 5 December 2024, 9:06 pm | Government of Vanuatu
Statement after statement makes the case that destruction of the climate system is unlawful and big polluters must be held accountable. More >>
Vanuatu Statement On UN Climate Change Agreement: 'It's Not Enough. It Was Never Going To Be Enough.'
Sunday, 24 November 2024, 2:51 pm | Government of Vanuatu
With COP29's conclusion, the stage shifts to the Hague, where Vanuatu's landmark ICJ climate change case—110 UN member states and intergovernmental organisations testifying—will start on 2 December. More >>
Ahead Of COP29, Landmark ICJ Climate Case Looms, With Vanuatu As First Country Speaking
Monday, 11 November 2024, 5:41 am | Government of Vanuatu
In schedule change, Vanuatu's testimony will now open landmark ICJ climate change case as 110 UN member states and intergovernmental organisations make their case in The Hague, starting 2 December. More >>
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Guterres Calls For An End To Ocean ‘Plunder' As UN Summit Opens In France
With the Mediterranean glittering in the background, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres opened the Third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, delivering a blunt indictment of humanitys fractured relationship with the sea. ' The ocean is the ultimate shared resource,' he told delegates gathered at the port of Nice. 'But we are failing it.' Oceans, he warned, are absorbing 90 per cent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions and buckling under the strain: overfishing, rising temperatures, plastic pollution, acidification. Coral reefs are dying. Fish stocks are collapsing. Rising seas, he said, could soon 'submerge deltas, destroy crops, and swallow coastlines — threatening many islands' survival.' Call for stewardship More than 50 Heads of State and Government took part in the opening ceremony, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — a show of political force underscoring the summit's weight. In total, over 120 countries are participating in the five-day gathering, known by the shorthand UNOC3, signaling a growing recognition that ocean health is inseparable from climate stability, food security, and global equity. French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is co-hosting the summit alongside Costa Rica, followed with a forceful appeal for science, law, and multilateral resolve. 'The abyss is not for sale, any more than Greenland is for sale, any more than Antarctica or the high seas are for sale,' he declared. 'If the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling.' He insisted the fate of the seas could not be left to markets or opinion. 'The first response is therefore multilateralism,' Mr. Macron said. 'The climate, like biodiversity, is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of scientifically established facts.' Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles took the podium next, thanking Mr. Guterres for elevating the ocean on the global agenda, then shifting to a stark warning. 'The ocean is speaking to us — with bleached coral reefs, with storms, with wounded mangroves,' he said. 'There's no time left for rhetoric. Now is the time to act.' Condemning decades of treating the ocean as an 'infinite pantry and global waste dump,' Mr. Chaves urged a shift from exploitation to stewardship. 'Costa Rica is a small country, but this change has started,' he said. 'We are now declaring peace with the ocean.' Most notably, the Costa Rican leader called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters until science can adequately assess the risks — a position already backed by 33 countries, he noted. A treaty within reach One of the summit's core objectives is to help bring into force the landmark High Seas Treaty — known as the BBNJ accord — adopted in 2023 to safeguard life in international waters. Sixty ratifications are required for the treaty to become binding international law. Emmanuel Macron announced that this milestone is now within reach. 'In addition to the 50 or so ratifications already submitted here in the last few hours, 15 countries have formally committed to joining them,' he said. 'This means that the political agreement has been reached, which allows us to say that this [Treaty] will be properly implemented.' Whether the legal threshold is crossed this week or shortly after, the French President added, 'it's a win.' High-stakes negotiations in the 'Blue Zone' The tone set by the opening speeches made clear that Nice will be the stage for high-stakes negotiations — on finalising a global treaty on plastic pollution, scaling up ocean finance, and navigating conflicting opinions surrounding seabed mining. Hundreds of new pledges are expected to be announced, building on more than 2,000 voluntary commitments made since the first UN Ocean Conference in 2017. The week-long talks will culminate in the adoption of a political declaration and the unveiling of the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a blueprint aligned with the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a 2022 agreement to protect 30 per cent of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030. 'The deep sea cannot become the Wild West,' António Guterres warned. The summit is being held in a purpose-built venue overlooking Port Lympia, Nice's historic marina, now transformed into the secured diplomatic 'Blue Zone.' On Sunday, a symbolic ceremony led by Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the conference, saw the French and UN flags raised above the harbor. 'This ceremony marks not only the formal transfer of this historic port into the hands of the United Nations, but also the beginning of a week of shared commitment, responsibility, and hope,' said Mr. Li. Culture, science, and collective memory Before the negotiations began in earnest, Monday's opening turned to ritual and reflection. Polynesian climate activist Ludovic Burns Tuki marked the start of the summit by blowing a pu, a traditional conch shell. 'It's a way to call everyone,' he told UN News after the ceremony. 'I blow with the support of our ancestors.' In Polynesian navigation, the conch is sounded upon arrival at a new island to signal peaceful intent. Mr. Tuki, born in Tahiti to parents from the Tuamotu and Easter Islands, sees the ocean as both boundary and bond. 'We are not only countries,' he said. 'We need to think like a collective system, because this is one ocean, one people, a future for all.' The cultural segment also included a blessing by Tahitian historian Hinano Murphy, a martial arts performance by French taekwondo master Olivier Sicard, a scientific reflection by deep-sea explorer Antje Boetius, and a poetic testimony by Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, accompanied by kora musician Wassa Kouyaté. What was lost can return The goals of the Conference are ambitious but clear: to advance the ' 30 by 30 ' pledge, promote sustainable fisheries, decarbonise maritime transport, and unlock new streams of 'blue finance,' including ocean bonds and debt-for-nature swaps to support vulnerable coastal states. In addition to plenary sessions, Monday will feature two high-level action panels: one on conserving and restoring marine ecosystems — including deep-sea habitats — and another on strengthening scientific cooperation, technology exchange, and education to bridge the gap between science and policy. In his opening statement, António Guterres stressed that Sustainable Development Goal 14, on 'Life Below Water', remains the least funded of the 17 UN global goals. 'This must change,' he said. 'We need bold models to unlock private capital.' 'What was lost in a generation,' he concluded, 'can return in a generation. The ocean of our ancestors — teeming with life and diversity — can be more than legend. It can be our legacy.'
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UN Ocean Conference Opens With Calls For Urgent Action To Safeguard The Health Of The Ocean
Nice, France, 9 June 2025 – The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of France and Costa Rica, opened today in Nice with strong calls to accelerate action and mobilize all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. 'I urge all countries to come forward with bold pledges,' United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his opening remarks to the Conference this morning. 'We live in an age of turmoil, but the resolve I see here gives me hope,' he said. 'Hope that we can turn the tide.' President Emmanuel Macron of France, also addressing the opening ceremony, said, 'we need to revitalize multilateralism behind the UN Secretary General,' adding that, 'the only way to meet that challenge, is to mobilize all actors, heads of state and government speaking here, but also scientists.' President Rodrigo Chaves Robles of Costa Rica stated that 'this summit must be remembered as the time when the world understood that looking after the ocean is not simply an option. Rather, it is a moral, economic, and indeed we need minimum protection.' Bringing together world leaders, scientists, private sector representatives, civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the high-level gathering underscores the ocean's vital role in regulating the climate, sustaining food security and livelihoods, and preserving biodiversity. The ocean is under growing pressure from climate change and human activity, with record heat severely impacting marine life, and escalating threats from pollution, overfishing and biodiversity loss pushing marine ecosystems to the brink. The Conference is expected to adopt an intergovernmentally negotiated political declaration, which, along with a registry of voluntary commitments from across sectors, will be referred to as the Nice Ocean Action Plan – outcomes aimed at catalyzing urgent, inclusive, and science-based action to safeguard the ocean for present and future generations. 'The time for incremental progress is over. We need billions, not millions, in investment. We need binding commitments that survive political transitions and economic pressures,' United Nations Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, the Conference Secretary-General said at the opening. Key issues under discussion during the five-day conference include: The Marine Biodiversity Treaty (BBNJ Agreement): Advancing ratifications of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, which was adopted in 2023 and covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean. Entry into force of the Agreement is critical for the health and resilience of the ocean and can make vital contributions to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14. A Special Treaty Event held later today, provides an opportunity for States to sign or ratify the Agreement. Sustainable Fisheries: Ending illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices, while encouraging science-based, community-led approaches to rebuild fish stocks and minimize ecosystem damage. Marine Protected Areas: Advancing progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. Decarbonizing Maritime Transport: Accelerating the transition to low- and zero-emission fuels and electrifying port infrastructure, recognizing early leadership from both national governments and the maritime industry. Plastic Pollution: Generating renewed political will and momentum for tackling plastic pollution, with negotiations resuming in August 2025. Financing: Unlocking new finance streams — including philanthropic capital, blended finance, and public-private partnerships — to support coastal resilience and sustainable blue economies. Science and Governance: Underscoring evidence-based policymaking and the role of cutting-edge research, observation systems, and Indigenous knowledge in shaping effective ocean governance.
Scoop
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Guterres Calls For An End To Ocean ‘Plunder' As UN Summit Opens In France
With the Mediterranean glittering in the background, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres opened the Third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, delivering a blunt indictment of humanitys fractured relationship with the sea. ' The ocean is the ultimate shared resource,' he told delegates gathered at the port of Nice. 'But we are failing it.' Oceans, he warned, are absorbing 90 per cent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions and buckling under the strain: overfishing, rising temperatures, plastic pollution, acidification. Coral reefs are dying. Fish stocks are collapsing. Rising seas, he said, could soon 'submerge deltas, destroy crops, and swallow coastlines — threatening many islands' survival.' Call for stewardship More than 50 Heads of State and Government took part in the opening ceremony, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — a show of political force underscoring the summit's weight. In total, over 120 countries are participating in the five-day gathering, known by the shorthand UNOC3, signaling a growing recognition that ocean health is inseparable from climate stability, food security, and global equity. French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is co-hosting the summit alongside Costa Rica, followed with a forceful appeal for science, law, and multilateral resolve. 'The abyss is not for sale, any more than Greenland is for sale, any more than Antarctica or the high seas are for sale,' he declared. 'If the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling.' He insisted the fate of the seas could not be left to markets or opinion. 'The first response is therefore multilateralism,' Mr. Macron said. 'The climate, like biodiversity, is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of scientifically established facts.' Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles took the podium next, thanking Mr. Guterres for elevating the ocean on the global agenda, then shifting to a stark warning. 'The ocean is speaking to us — with bleached coral reefs, with storms, with wounded mangroves,' he said. 'There's no time left for rhetoric. Now is the time to act.' Condemning decades of treating the ocean as an 'infinite pantry and global waste dump,' Mr. Chaves urged a shift from exploitation to stewardship. 'Costa Rica is a small country, but this change has started,' he said. 'We are now declaring peace with the ocean.' Most notably, the Costa Rican leader called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters until science can adequately assess the risks — a position already backed by 33 countries, he noted. A treaty within reach One of the summit's core objectives is to help bring into force the landmark High Seas Treaty — known as the BBNJ accord — adopted in 2023 to safeguard life in international waters. Sixty ratifications are required for the treaty to become binding international law. Emmanuel Macron announced that this milestone is now within reach. 'In addition to the 50 or so ratifications already submitted here in the last few hours, 15 countries have formally committed to joining them,' he said. 'This means that the political agreement has been reached, which allows us to say that this [Treaty] will be properly implemented.' Whether the legal threshold is crossed this week or shortly after, the French President added, 'it's a win.' High-stakes negotiations in the 'Blue Zone' The tone set by the opening speeches made clear that Nice will be the stage for high-stakes negotiations — on finalising a global treaty on plastic pollution, scaling up ocean finance, and navigating conflicting opinions surrounding seabed mining. Hundreds of new pledges are expected to be announced, building on more than 2,000 voluntary commitments made since the first UN Ocean Conference in 2017. The week-long talks will culminate in the adoption of a political declaration and the unveiling of the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a blueprint aligned with the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a 2022 agreement to protect 30 per cent of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030. 'The deep sea cannot become the Wild West,' António Guterres warned. The summit is being held in a purpose-built venue overlooking Port Lympia, Nice's historic marina, now transformed into the secured diplomatic 'Blue Zone.' On Sunday, a symbolic ceremony led by Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the conference, saw the French and UN flags raised above the harbor. 'This ceremony marks not only the formal transfer of this historic port into the hands of the United Nations, but also the beginning of a week of shared commitment, responsibility, and hope,' said Mr. Li. Culture, science, and collective memory Before the negotiations began in earnest, Monday's opening turned to ritual and reflection. Polynesian climate activist Ludovic Burns Tuki marked the start of the summit by blowing a pu, a traditional conch shell. 'It's a way to call everyone,' he told UN News after the ceremony. 'I blow with the support of our ancestors.' In Polynesian navigation, the conch is sounded upon arrival at a new island to signal peaceful intent. Mr. Tuki, born in Tahiti to parents from the Tuamotu and Easter Islands, sees the ocean as both boundary and bond. 'We are not only countries,' he said. 'We need to think like a collective system, because this is one ocean, one people, a future for all.' The cultural segment also included a blessing by Tahitian historian Hinano Murphy, a martial arts performance by French taekwondo master Olivier Sicard, a scientific reflection by deep-sea explorer Antje Boetius, and a poetic testimony by Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, accompanied by kora musician Wassa Kouyaté. What was lost can return The goals of the Conference are ambitious but clear: to advance the ' 30 by 30 ' pledge, promote sustainable fisheries, decarbonise maritime transport, and unlock new streams of 'blue finance,' including ocean bonds and debt-for-nature swaps to support vulnerable coastal states. In addition to plenary sessions, Monday will feature two high-level action panels: one on conserving and restoring marine ecosystems — including deep-sea habitats — and another on strengthening scientific cooperation, technology exchange, and education to bridge the gap between science and policy. In his opening statement, António Guterres stressed that Sustainable Development Goal 14, on 'Life Below Water', remains the least funded of the 17 UN global goals. 'This must change,' he said. 'We need bold models to unlock private capital.' 'What was lost in a generation,' he concluded, 'can return in a generation. The ocean of our ancestors — teeming with life and diversity — can be more than legend. It can be our legacy.'
