
Guterres Calls For An End To Ocean ‘Plunder' As UN Summit Opens In France
'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.
United Nations News · CLIP: Polynesian climate activist Ludovic Burns Tuki at the UN Ocean Conference
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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Macron Talks New Caledonia At Pacific-France Summit
, Correspondent French Pacific Desk French president Emmanuel Macron chaired a Pacific-France summit on Tuesday, in the margins of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in Nice. In his opening speech, the French head of state touched on several aspects of France's cooperation in the Pacific region, including in terms of environment, defence and geostrategy. €2 million Euros for Pacific Forum's Resilient Facility Pledging to maintain France's diplomacy "in very close connection with our common interests in the Pacific", including the recent opening of a new Embassy in Apia, Samoa, Macron acknowledged the "central" role played by the Pacific Islands Forum, which will receive about €2 million Euros as a contribution to the Pacific Resilient Facility fund for the region. He also mentioned the opening of a project to introduce new air links connecting French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. He also touched on France-Pacific cooperation at "strategic and military" levels, through a recently-created "Pacific Academy" and regular joint regional exercises in order to foster "common credibility to protect our zones and fight against illegal fishing". High on the agenda were key issues such as climate change and its adverse effects on Pacific Island states on human lives and biodiversity, natural disasters affecting the region, breaches of sovereignty and security resulting from illegal fishing, and trans-regional crime, especially the rising problem of drug trafficking. In terms of regional maritime security and fight against criminality, especially illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), France, but also Australia and New Zealand Navys are regularly contributing to patrols in the Pacific Islands Forum's Fisheries Agency (FFA) member states' exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Significant part dedicated to New Caledonia Macron dedicated a significant part of his address to the situation in New Caledonia, one year after the deadly riots that broke out in May 2024 (causing 14 deaths and and estimated €2.2 billion Euros in damages). He told Pacific leaders he was aware of Pacific concerns about "the events that destabilized New Caledonia a year ago". "I want to tell you here... The French state has respected its commitments made decades ago by organizing in recent years three referendums with United Nations observers which were validated and noted. "But a year ago, violence broke out, triggered by several factors... which we took very seriously." Macron said since then, France has unlocked "more than €3 billion Euros" for New Caledonia's economic reconstruction. "And we have spared no effort with the government, in particular the Minister of State [Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls] to restore dialogue between all parties." Since February Valls has managed to bring all of New Caledonia's political camps around the same table, something that had not happened since 2022. But the proposal he put on the table in early May, during a behind-closed-doors "conclave", drew ire from parties in favour of New Caledonia remaining a part of France. They objected, saying Valls' project failed to take into account that the three recent referendums had expressed a rejection of independence and that the Minister's "sovereignty with France" offer (including transfer of key powers from France to New Caledonia, a dual Kanaky-France citizenship and an international standing) was tantamount to some form of independence which they strongly objected to. A "new project" on the table in July? On discussions about a resumption of talks to find a bipartisan and comprehensive agreement on the French Pacific territory's future political status, Macron also confirmed that he will "hold a summit in Paris in the coming weeks to bring together all stakeholders again and manage to come up with a new project". Macron said after holding three referendums between 2018 and 2021 on New Caledonia's sovereignty, he was not in favour of holding yet another one. "I must say I honestly believe Pacific, Oceanian or Melanesian cultures are more based on consultation and circularity, not really suited for referendums ...whereby you're supposed to express a clearcut yes or no." We won't make the same mistakes again "We will not make the same mistakes again in the future," Macron told Pacific islands leaders, including those from the three French Pacific territories of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. He said building a political solution for New Caledonia was still work in progress "with a lot of humility, together". And in this process, he told regional leaders "we welcome your advice" and "recommendations". He mentioned and thanked Pacific Islands Forum leaders for a fact-finding mission that travelled to New Caledonia in late 2024 and gave rise to "very productive exchanges". "We will do all we can to succeed and I am confident we'll do it with respect for everyone and for all (New) Caledonians, for peace, unity and stability in the region. "But we are trying to hold this dialogue while respecting the various opinions and the principles of democracy." During the same Pacific-France summit, Macron also held talks with leaders from Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The Pacific Islands Forum delegation was headed by its secretary-general Baron Waqa.

RNZ News
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Macron talks New Caledonia at Pacific-France summit
Photo: Screenshot Présidence de la République française French president Emmanuel Macron chaired a Pacific-France summit on Tuesday, in the margins of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in Nice. In his opening speech, the French head of state touched on several aspects of France's cooperation in the Pacific region, including in terms of environment, defence and geostrategy. Pledging to maintain France's diplomacy "in very close connection with our common interests in the Pacific", including the recent opening of a new Embassy in Apia, Samoa, Macron acknowledged the "central" role played by the Pacific Islands Forum, which will receive about €2 million Euros as a contribution to the Pacific Resilient Facility fund for the region. He also mentioned the opening of a project to introduce new air links connecting French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. He also touched on France-Pacific cooperation at "strategic and military" levels, through a recently-created "Pacific Academy" and regular joint regional exercises in order to foster "common credibility to protect our zones and fight against illegal fishing". High on the agenda were key issues such as climate change and its adverse effects on Pacific Island states on human lives and biodiversity, natural disasters affecting the region, breaches of sovereignty and security resulting from illegal fishing, and trans-regional crime, especially the rising problem of drug trafficking. In terms of regional maritime security and fight against criminality, especially illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), France, but also Australia and New Zealand Navys are regularly contributing to patrols in the Pacific Islands Forum's Fisheries Agency (FFA) member states' exclusive economic zones (EEZs). French gendarmes deployed in Dumbéa on 24 June 2024. Photo: NC la 1ère Macron dedicated a significant part of his address to the situation in New Caledonia, one year after the deadly riots that broke out in May 2024 (causing 14 deaths and and estimated €2.2 billion Euros in damages). He told Pacific leaders he was aware of Pacific concerns about "the events that destabilized New Caledonia a year ago ". "I want to tell you here... The French state has respected its commitments made decades ago by organizing in recent years three referendums with United Nations observers which were validated and noted. "But a year ago, violence broke out, triggered by several factors... which we took very seriously." Macron said since then, France has unlocked "more than €3 billion Euros" for New Caledonia's economic reconstruction. "And we have spared no effort with the government, in particular the Minister of State [Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls] to restore dialogue between all parties." Since February Valls has managed to bring all of New Caledonia's political camps around the same table, something that had not happened since 2022. But the proposal he put on the table in early May , during a behind-closed-doors "conclave", drew ire from parties in favour of New Caledonia remaining a part of France. They objected, saying Valls' project failed to take into account that the three recent referendums had expressed a rejection of independence and that the Minister's "sovereignty with France" offer (including transfer of key powers from France to New Caledonia, a dual Kanaky-France citizenship and an international standing) was tantamount to some form of independence which they strongly objected to. Photo: Screenshot Présidence de la République française On discussions about a resumption of talks to find a bipartisan and comprehensive agreement on the French Pacific territory's future political status, Macron also confirmed that he will "hold a summit in Paris in the coming weeks to bring together all stakeholders again and manage to come up with a new project". Macron said after holding three referendums between 2018 and 2021 on New Caledonia's sovereignty, he was not in favour of holding yet another one. "I must say I honestly believe Pacific, Oceanian or Melanesian cultures are more based on consultation and circularity, not really suited for referendums ...whereby you're supposed to express a clearcut yes or no." "We will not make the same mistakes again in the future," Macron told Pacific islands leaders, including those from the three French Pacific territories of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. He said building a political solution for New Caledonia was still work in progress "with a lot of humility, together". And in this process, he told regional leaders "we welcome your advice" and "recommendations". He mentioned and thanked Pacific Islands Forum leaders for a fact-finding mission that travelled to New Caledonia in late 2024 and gave rise to "very productive exchanges". "We will do all we can to succeed and I am confident we'll do it with respect for everyone and for all (New) Caledonians, for peace, unity and stability in the region. "But we are trying to hold this dialogue while respecting the various opinions and the principles of democracy." During the same Pacific-France summit, Macron also held talks with leaders from Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The Pacific Islands Forum delegation was headed by its secretary-general Baron Waqa.