The 3rd UNOC-3 Oceans Conference opened in Nice on Monday. The representative forum, organized with the support of the Presidents of France and Costa Rica, Emmanuel Macron and Rodrigo Chavez Robles, is dedicated to the conservation of marine ecosystems and the rational use of ocean resources. It is expected that it will end with the adoption of a political declaration, the promulgation of an action plan for the conservation of the oceans and the promotion of the High Seas Treaty.
UNOC-3 turned out to be the largest meeting of its kind. About 10,000 people arrived on the Cote d’Azur to participate in it, including 63 heads of state and government, as well as heads of international organizations, scientists, activists and business representatives. This is almost twice as many as attended the previous conference in Lisbon in 2022. However, there is no official US delegation. The largest maritime power is represented by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and former US Special Envoy on Climate Issues John Kerry.
The theme of the current conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all stakeholders for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.” Over the course of five days, participants will address issues such as combating illegal fishing, plastic pollution of the oceans, and building a sustainable blue economy.
The time and venue of the forum were not chosen by chance. It has been 10 years since the Paris Climate Agreement set goals to limit global warming. Nice is not just a picturesque backdrop for a meeting, but a witness to the growing environmental crisis. The Mediterranean is warming 20% faster than other regions, making it a climate hotspot.
Those gathered in Nice stated that “the world’s oceans are dying.” Fish stocks are declining, coral reefs are bleaching, and water surface temperatures are breaking records. Up to 12 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, which is equivalent to unloading one garbage truck every minute.
“The ocean is our main common asset, which, however, we are ruining,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the opening of the conference. “If we don’t change course, rising water levels will lead to flooding of river deltas, crop destruction, coastal destruction, and even endanger the existence of many islands.” According to him, there can be no healthy planet without a healthy ocean. After all, the ocean produces 50% of the oxygen needed by humanity and feeds 3 billion people.
“The deep seas cannot become the Wild West,” Guterres said to applause from the participants of the plenary session.
Many countries are opposed to mining on the seabed, and, as Macron stated, the moratorium on deep-sea resource extraction is an “international necessity.”
The focus of the forum will certainly be on the ratification of the Treaty on the High Seas, aimed at protecting marine flora and fauna in international waters. It was signed in 2023 by 115 countries, but so far, according to the AP, only 32 states have ratified it.
Commenting on the situation around this treaty, French Ambassador to the Russian Federation Nicolas de Riviere told NG that currently the open sea, which makes up more than 60% of the world’s oceans, is the only space that does not fall under international law. “The lack of supervision and general rules leads to a real social and environmental disaster: large-scale pollution by hydrocarbons and plastics, illegal and unregulated fishing methods, and the extraction of protected species of mammals. In order to eliminate legal gaps, it is necessary to achieve the ratification of the Treaty on the High Seas by 60 states in order for it to enter into force,” the Ambassador stressed.
According to him, 10 years after the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, which allowed the creation of a legally binding global framework to limit global warming, the Nice Oceans Forum will provide a historic opportunity. The agreements adopted at the forum will lay the foundation for an international pact for the protection and sustainable use of the oceans. “To solve this problem, the discussions in Nice must be specific and focused on practical actions, in particular in the interests of improving governance, increasing funding and deepening ocean exploration,” de Riviere said.
Costa Rica hopes to raise $100 billion in the coming years for the sustainable development of the oceans. Indeed, to achieve the goal of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030, about $15.8 billion is needed annually. Right now, 1.2 billion is being allocated. However, experts criticize world leaders for lacking the will, not the means. In their opinion, whether the conference will become a real impetus for further work or an arena for non-binding declarations will depend on what exactly will be proposed during the five days at the negotiating table.
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, special representative of the French President for UNOC-3, believes that the forum participants will have to create a kind of police force to stop the decisions of individual countries that do not comply with international laws on the protection of the planet. He called Donald Trump’s decree allowing fishing and mining at the bottom of international waters “the actions of a criminal.”