Established in 2010

Climate Change

UN Ocean Conference 2025: A Unified Call for Ocean Action and Climate Integration

January 5, 2026

The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025, marked a decisive moment in the evolution of global ocean governance and its integration with international climate action. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the Conference was convened pursuant to United Nations General Assembly resolution 77/262, under the overarching theme “Accelerating Action and Mobilizing All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean.” It brought together heads of state and government, ministers, representatives of UN agencies, international financial institutions, scientists, civil society organizations, Indigenous representatives, and private-sector actors from across the globe.

UNOC3 aimed to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) while explicitly situating ocean protection within the broader climate and sustainable development agenda. The Conference responded to mounting scientific evidence demonstrating the ocean’s central role in regulating the climate system, sustaining biodiversity, supporting food security, and underpinning the livelihoods of billions of people — while simultaneously highlighting the ocean’s increasing vulnerability to climate change, pollution, and overexploitation.

The Conference concluded with the adoption by consensus of a political declaration entitled “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action.” The Declaration reaffirmed states’ commitment to conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems and emphasized the need to strengthen the ocean–climate nexus in international governance. It explicitly recognized the ocean as “a fundamental ally in the fight against climate change” and called for the integration of ocean-based action into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) under the UNFCCC framework.¹

In his opening address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “the ocean is reaching a breaking point,” stressing that rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, and marine pollution pose existential threats to ecosystems and coastal societies, particularly small island developing states (SIDS) and vulnerable coastal communities. He emphasized that fragmented and sectoral approaches are no longer sufficient and called for a transformation in how the international community governs and protects the ocean.²

Throughout the Conference, states and non-state actors announced a wide range of voluntary commitments, including the expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs), measures to advance sustainable fisheries, initiatives to decarbonize maritime transport, and actions to combat plastic pollution. Several delegations reaffirmed commitments toward the “30×30” target, aiming to protect at least 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030, while others highlighted progress in phasing out harmful fisheries subsidies and strengthening enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Climate-related discussions featured prominently across plenary sessions and side events. Particular emphasis was placed on nature-based solutions, such as mangrove restoration, seagrass conservation, and coral reef protection, as cost-effective tools for climate mitigation and adaptation. Participants repeatedly stressed the need for coherence among ongoing international processes, including negotiations under the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).³

Statements by the co-hosting states reinforced the urgency of implementation. Costa Rica emphasized that ocean protection is “not an environmental luxury but a climate necessity,” while France underlined the need to move “from commitments to concrete action,” supported by science, financing, and inclusive governance. Scientific panels convened during UNOC3 presented updated assessments on ocean warming and acidification, warning of approaching ecological tipping points unless greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly reduced.⁴

From a governance perspective, UNOC3 confirmed a growing recognition that ocean issues can no longer be treated as peripheral or sector-specific. Instead, they are increasingly framed as integral to climate governance, sustainable development, and the protection of international common interests. The Conference emphasized multi-level, multi-actor, and participatory approaches, reflecting a shift toward more relational forms of international environmental governance.

For MEPIELAN, UNOC3 constitutes a compelling case study of the evolution of international environmental law and governance regimes, illustrating how climate law, ocean law, and sustainable development frameworks are becoming increasingly interconnected. The Conference highlights the importance of institutional coordination, inclusive participation, and negotiated cooperation in advancing effective and equitable solutions for present and future generations.

 

Electronic Sources

  1. United Nations, Political Declaration of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference: “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action”, UNOC3, Nice, June 2025.
    https://www.un.org/en/conferences/ocean2025/outcomes
  2. United Nations Secretary-General, Opening Remarks at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, Nice, 9 June 2025.:
    https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2025-06-09/remarks-un-ocean-conference
  3. United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 77/262, 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, 2022; see also **Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)*, 2023.

    https://undocs.org/A/RES/77/262
    https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement

  4. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC), Ocean and Climate Science Briefings Presented at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), June 2025.
    https://ioc.unesco.org/ocean-climate/unoc3-science-briefings
  5. United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water – Progress and Challenges, United Nations Reports, 2024–2025.
    https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/oceans/

 

 

About the author

MEPIELAN Centre
Author's Website

MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.

Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.

MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).

On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable

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| Jan 5, 2026 | 6 min read

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