The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) opened on Monday in Nice, a coastal city in southern France, under the theme of “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, this year’s UNOC3 brings together delegations from UN member state governments, stakeholders from international organizations, the research community, civil society and the private sector to discuss global ocean governance.
The UNOC3 aims to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14), “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources,” with an emphasis on three priorities: working toward the successful completion of ocean-related multilateral processes to raise the level of ambition for ocean protection; mobilizing funding for SDG14 and supporting the development of a sustainable blue economy; and strengthening and better disseminating marine science knowledge for improved policymaking.
Speaking at the opening session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the ocean is “the ultimate shared resource, but we are failing it.”
Protecting the ocean requires multilateralism and increased investment by nations, given that SDG14 remains one of the least well-funded Sustainable Development Goals, the UN chief said.
The conference, featuring 10 plenary sessions and 10 “Ocean Action Panels,” is scheduled to close on Friday.
(Cover: A view of Nice, France, June 9, 2025. /VCG)
UN ocean conference kicks off in France
