'We are the Oceans'

Daily Tribune

26-05-2025

From 9 to 13 June 2025, France will be hosting the third United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (UNOC, or United Nations Ocean Conference). For this crucial event, some 100 Heads of State and Government will converge, as well as tens of thousands of researchers, scientists, economic actors, activists and citizens from around the world. On this occasion, France's aim will be clear: protecting the oceans through tangible action.
It is, indeed, through concrete actions that we can protect the ocean. France, a pioneer in marine protection, is taking decisive action. The first French marine reserve was created in 1941 (the Leprédour Island Nature Reserve in New Caledonia). One-third (33.4%) of France's maritime area is now covered by at least one marine protected area. Globally, France supports the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, compared with 8.4% today.
Bahrain is also fully committed to this goal. We welcome, for example, its commitment to quadruple mangrove coverage by 2035. In February 2025, Bahrain joined the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to combat illegal fishing and committed to implementing regulations to protect marine biodiversity. These commitments were renewed by the highest authorities during Regional Environment Day on April 24.
The oceans belong to all of us. They feed and protect our peoples. They inspire dreams and enable travel. They offer sustainable energy, means to trade, resources and infinite scientific knowledge.
One in three people relies on the oceans for their livelihood, yet the oceans are in danger. They remain little-known, with neither global governance nor the financing needed for their preservation. The numbers are worrying: more than eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year, according to a study in Science. Moreover, more than a third of fish stocks suffer overfishing, while ocean acidification, rising sea levels and the destruction of marine ecosystems gain pace, as direct consequences of climate change.
We must act now. More than ever before, we must make sure that multilateral action is equal to the challenges of protecting the oceans.
Ten years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement, which established a binding global framework to limit climate change, the third United Nations Ocean Conference is a historic opportunity. The 'Nice Ocean Agreements' will form a genuine international compact for conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, fully in line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
To this end, the talks in Nice need to be very operational and action-focused, aiming for better governance, more financing and greater knowledge of the seas.
When it comes to governance, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) is essential. The high seas, which represent more than 60% of the oceans, are currently the only space not governed by international law. The lack of oversight and common rules is causing a real social and environmental disaster, with massive hydrocarbon and plastic pollution, illegal and unregulated fishing techniques, and the taking of protected mammals. To end this legal vacuum, we need the BBNJ Agreement to be ratified by 60 countries, so as to come into force. France submitted its instrument of ratification of the BBNJ Agreement to the United Nations on February 5 and encourages all countries that share the desire to protect the ocean to do the same.
The protection of the oceans also requires public and private financing and support for a sustainable blue economy. To continue enjoying the incredible economic opportunities offered by the oceans, we need to make sure marine resources can regenerate. In Nice, several commitments will be announced for global trade, shipping, tourism and investment.
Lastly, how can we protect what we know not – or know insufficiently? We need to enhance our knowledge of the oceans and share it better. Today, we are capable of mapping the surface of the Moon or of Mars, but the depths of the oceans – which cover 70% of Earth's surface – remain unknown. Together, we need to put science, innovation and education to work to better understand the oceans and raise public awareness.
In the context of ever faster climate change and overexploitation of marine resources, the oceans are not just one more issue: they are everyone's business. We must not forget our shared responsibility in the context of challenges to multilateralism. The oceans join us all together and are central to our future. Together, we can make the third United Nations Ocean Conference a turning point for our peoples, for future generations and for our planet.