From June 9 to 13, the coastal city of Nice will host the\u00a0Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), a high-level summit co-chaired by France and Costa Rica<\/strong>. Its mission: to confront a deepening ocean emergency that scientists warn is nearing a point of no return.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ocean is facing an unprecedented crisis due to climate change, plastic pollution, ecosystem loss, and the overuse of marine resources,\u201d Li Junhua<\/strong>, a senior UN official serving as Secretary-General of the event<\/strong>, told UN News.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope the conference will inspire unprecedented ambition, innovative partnerships, and maybe a healthy competition,\u201d he said, highlighting the need for international cooperation to avoid irreversible damage.<\/p>\n The pressure is on. UNOC3 is bringing together world leaders, scientists, activists, and business executives to tackle the growing crisis in the world\u2019s oceans. The goal: to spark a wave of voluntary pledges, forge new partnerships, and \u2014 if organizers succeed \u2014 inject a much-needed dose of accountability into the fight against marine degradation.<\/p>\n The week-long talks will culminate in the adoption of a political declaration and the unveiling of the Nice Ocean Action Plan<\/strong> \u2014 an effort to match the scale of the crisis and accelerate action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.<\/p>\n The crisis isn\u2019t a distant threat: it\u2019s happening now. In April, global sea surface temperatures hit their second-highest levels ever for that month<\/strong>,\u00a0according to the European Union\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Meanwhile, the most extensive coral bleaching event in recorded history\u00a0<\/strong>is underway<\/strong> \u2014 sweeping across the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific. More than a single event, it\u2019s a planetary unraveling.<\/p>\n Coral reefs, which sustain a quarter of all marine species and underpin billions in tourism and fisheries, are vanishing before our eyes. Their collapse could unleash cascading effects on biodiversity, food security, and climate resilience.<\/p>\n And the damage runs deeper still. The ocean\u00a0<\/strong>continues to absorb<\/strong> more than 90 per cent of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> \u2014 a worldwide service that may be nearing its limits. \u201cChallenges like plastic pollution, overfishing, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and warming are all linked to climate change,\u201d Mr. Li warned.<\/p>\n Still, there have been notable breakthroughs. In 2022, the World Trade Organization struck a far-reaching deal to phase out harmful subsidies that fuel overfishing<\/strong>, offering a rare glimmer of multilateral resolve. The following year, after decades of deadlock, nations adopted the High Seas Treaty, known by the shorthand BBNJ,<\/strong> to safeguard marine life in international waters<\/strong>. That long-awaited agreement is now poised to enter into force at the Nice summit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But policy alone cannot reverse an ecosystem in free fall. \u201cThe global response is insufficient,\u201d Li Junhua cautioned.<\/p>\n Progress, in other words, depends not only on political will but on the resources to match it.<\/p>\n An estimated 60 per cent of the world’s marine ecosystems have been degraded or are being used unsustainably.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite its vital role in regulating life on Earth \u2014 producing half of our oxygen<\/strong> and buffering against climate extremes \u2014 the ocean remains chronically underfunded.\u00a0 Sustainable Development Goal 14<\/strong> , on \u2018Life Below Water\u2019, receives the least resources of the 17 global UN goals Member States agreed to meet by 2030.<\/p>\n The estimated cost to protect and restore marine ecosystems over the next five years is $175 billion annually<\/strong>. \u201cBut less than $10 billion was allocated between 2015 and 2019,\u201d Mr. Li noted, signaling the need to move ocean funding from trickle to torrent.<\/p>\n That ambition is at the heart of what the Conference aims to deliver.<\/p>\n The theme of UNOC3, Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean<\/em>, reflects a shift from declarations to delivery.<\/p>\n Over five days, participants will grapple with the big questions: how to stem illegal fishing, reduce plastic pollution, and scale sustainable blue economies. Hundreds of new pledges are expected to build on the more than 2,000 voluntary commitments made<\/strong> since\u00a0the first ocean summit in 2017.<\/p>\n The Nice Ocean Action Plan<\/strong> is set to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework<\/strong>, a 2022 agreement\u00a0calling for the protection of at least 30 per cent of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Alongside new pledges, the plan will include a formal declaration, which Mr. Li described as a \u201cconcise\u201d and \u201caction-oriented\u201d political document.<\/p>\n \u201cThe draft political declaration, led by Australia and Cabo Verde, focuses on ocean conservation and sustainable ocean-based economies and includes concrete measures for accelerating action,\u201d the UN official teased.<\/p>\n The rapid loss of biodiversity threatens the livelihood of 3 billion people, including coastal communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Up to 12 million metric tons of plastic<\/strong> enter the ocean every year \u2014 the equivalent of a garbage truck every minute.<\/p>\n At Nice, delegates hope to advance a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution at its source.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Over 60 per cent of marine ecosystems are degraded<\/strong> or unsustainably used.<\/p>\n The summit aims to bolster efforts toward protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 and to launch a roadmap for decarbonizing maritime transport.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Global fish stocks within safe biological limits have plunged\u00a0<\/strong>from 90 per cent in the 1970s to just 62 per cent in 2021.<\/p>\n Nice hopes to pave the way for a new international agreement on sustainable fisheries.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n More than 3 billion people depend on marine biodiversity for their livelihoods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In response, the summit seeks to boost financing for blue economies and elevate community-led solutions.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n In small developing island states, the ocean is not just an economic engine, it\u2019s a lifeline.<\/p>\n The timing of the summit is intentional. A decade after the landmark Paris Agreement<\/strong> set targets for limiting global warming, UNOC3 is pushing to place the ocean at the center of climate action \u2014 not as an afterthought, but as a frontline battlefield.<\/p>\n \u201cUNOC 3 addresses the interconnected crisis facing our oceans,\u201d noted Mr. Li.<\/p>\n The summit also aims to be inclusive, highlighting voices often sidelined in global forums, such as women, Indigenous people, fisherfolk, and coastal communities. \u201cThese groups are the first to suffer the impacts of climate change and ocean degradation,\u201d Mr. Li emphasized. \u201cBut they are also leaders and problem solvers, so they must be empowered.\u201d<\/p>\nWarming seas, bleaching reefs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Turning versus tipping points<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A lifeline starved of funds<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Nice Ocean Action Plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/div>\nCrisis by the numbers \u2014 and what Nice hopes to deliver<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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From Paris to Nice<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A pivotal moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n