UNOC3: Nations adopt declaration to support implementation of goal to conserve, sustainably use oceans

Nations gathered at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France adopted a political declaration on June 13, 2025, the final day of the five-day meeting. 

In this declaration, they acknowledged that the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), which focuses on conserving and sustainably using oceans, seas and marine resources, is the least funded of all SDGs. This recognition was lacking in the political declaration made at UNOC2 in 2022.

The ocean plays a critical role in global ecosystems, generating half the oxygen we breathe, regulating climate by absorbing heat and storing carbon and contributing $2.6 trillion in value annually — exceeding the Gross Domestic Product of Brazil or Canada. Despite that, the oceans are underfunded.

Achieving SDG-14 requires 175 billion per year by 2030, and yet, between 2015 and 2019, less than $10 billion in total was invested, according to the World Economic Forum. Further, oceans receive less than 1 per cent of all climate finance.

UNOC3 saw participation from 175 UN member states, 64 heads of state and government, 28 heads of UN, intergovernmental and international organisations, 115 ministers and 12,000 delegates. The adopted political declaration, while not legally binding, calls for adequate and scaled-up means of implementation for developing countries, particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDC), to address the SDG 14 funding gap. 

Nations also agreed to strengthen the provision of scaled-up resources in these countries, including public, grant-based and concessional finance, non-debt instruments and other concessional finance from multilateral development banks like the World Bank. 

“The outcome (political declaration) recognises the need for three crucial changes,” Li Junhua, conference secretary-general and UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, said in a press briefing on June 13. The first change, he said, was greater investment, including scaling up the multibillion-dollar finance gap. Second is to enhance science-policy interface to ensure decisions are grounded in best available science, data and traditional science. Third, accelerating the implementation of international frameworks like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (adopted by 196 countries in 2022 to halt and reverse nature loss), and encouraging the World Trade Organization (WTO) Members to deposit their instruments of acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (adopted in June 2022).

One target of the Global Biodiversity Framework is conserving and managing 30 per cent of marine areas by 2030 by establishing marine protected areas (PA) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM). “The real test is not what was said here — but what we would do next. Pledges made this week must be vigorously implemented, tracked and scaled,” Junhua told journalists.

UNOC 3 was also seen as a platform to catalyse ratifications for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, or high seas treaty, adopted on June 19, 2023, after two decades of negotiations. Implementing the BBNJ treaty is crucial for achieving the "30x30" target of protecting 30 per cent of the global oceans by 2030.

The event fell short of the 60-mark needed for the treaty to enter into force. So far, 50 ratifications have been confirmed. Olivier Poivre D'Arvor, special envoy of the French Republic for the UN Ocean Conference, told journalists that 65 ratifications are expected in the next few weeks. He also said that an official ceremony will be held in September in New York for the treaty, paving the way for its implementation. The first conference of parties (COP1) could happen in 2026.

On the penultimate day, June 12, five Global South Ministers from Madagascar, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Liberia called for an urgent scaling up of ocean finance to meet global conservation goals. They also insisted on its integration into broader climate and biodiversity funding frameworks to maximise coherence and impact across the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Declaration falls short on key issues

The declaration has weak language regarding deep-sea mining. The initial draft had emphasised the importance of a precautionary approach, including for deep-sea mining, and the need to increase scientific knowledge on deep-sea ecosystems. However, the adopted draft removed the mention of precautionary approach, including for deep sea mining.

Nearly 30 countries have called for a pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining and negotiations for developing a mining code are set for July 2025. The adopted declaration does not mention any ban on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method that involves dragging large nets along the sea floor. 

While the UK recently announced a ban on bottom trawling in MPAs, France stated it would "limit" bottom trawling in some of its MPAs, extending protection from this destructive practice to 4 per cent of French waters, up from 0.1 per cent currently. However, France has been criticised by organisations like Oceana, an international advocacy organisation, for implementing these measures primarily in areas where bottom trawling does not occur. “This was the moment for France to lead — and they missed it. President Macron promised action on bottom trawling in marine protected areas but delivered only artificial limits and empty words. That’s not leadership — that’s evasion. Allowing destructive bottom trawling in most of France’s so-called ‘protected’ areas makes a mockery of ocean protection,” Alexandra Cousteau, ocean advocate, Senior Advisor to Oceana, said in a statement.

The political declaration also failed to mention fossil fuels and their impacts on ocean health. Carlos Bravo, ocean policy expert, Ocean Care, said in a statement that despite several sessions on the official conference agenda and numerous side events held throughout the week clearly stating that one of the main causes literally killing our oceans is climate change caused by our insane dependence on fossil fuels, no country has dared to raise the need to adopt, at the very least, a ban on the search for new hydrocarbon deposits at sea. “The international community has shown neither consistency nor respect for science on this issue at UNOC-3,” the expert said.

The declaration, along with voluntary commitments made by some countries, forms the "Nice Ocean Action Plan". These "Nice Commitments" are intended to be an ambitious roadmap for all states and stakeholders in the context of SDG 14, according to a document released by France. A total of 2,635 voluntary commitments have been made so far, reflecting growing political will.

At UNOC3, Samoa, French Polynesia, Colombia, Tanzania, Sao Tome & Principe announced new MPAs. This could bring the protected areas from roughly 8 per cent to close to 11 per cent, according to Poivre D'Arvor. However, of the 8.6 per cent, only 2.7 per cent are effectively protected, meaning only 2.7 per cent of the ocean has regulations and active management to ensure minimal or no damaging activities.

The European Union committed around 1 billion euros to the ocean, to restore the health of the ocean and its productivity, accelerate the development of sustainable competitiveness of the blue economy, support the development of coastal and island communities, strengthen maritime security and resilience, as well as to supporting ocean research.

The European Commission's Ocean Mission has announced €45 million for adaptation projects for cities, regions and islands as part of its Horizons Europe, EU's funding programme for research and innovation. Further, 19 States announced the implementation of national plans to protect and restore ocean ecosystems such as mangroves, as well as to manage coastal waste, including plastics.