UN Ocean Conference to focus on biodiversity, subsidies, "30X30 goal"

Volunteers pick up litter during a beach cleanup campaign at Flamengo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 22, 2025. On the occasion of World Water Day falling on Saturday, multiple cities in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state launched large-scale beach cleanup campaigns, with hundreds of volunteers working together to remove marine litter, aiming to raise public awareness of ocean conservation and sustainable development. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)

The third United Nations Ocean Conference will be held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, against the backdrop that many environmental shifts and rising sea levels pose a serious threat to global infrastructure and life on Earth.

PARIS, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), to be held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, will center on three core objectives: conserving marine biodiversity, eliminating harmful fisheries subsidies, and advancing the global "30x30" target.

Rising ocean temperatures, acidification, and oxygen loss are undermining the ocean's ability to regulate the climate, according to scientists from the One Ocean Science Congress. These environmental shifts, together with rising sea levels, pose a serious threat to global infrastructure and life on Earth, they warned in a recent statement meant to inform decision-makers gathering in Nice.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (at podium and on screens) addresses a General Assembly meeting commemorating the 40th anniversary of the adoption and opening for signature of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 8, 2022. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

In this context, UNOC3 will convene governments, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, researchers, civil society groups, and private sector stakeholders to address challenges and explore opportunities linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

The conference will feature ten plenary sessions and ten roundtable discussions, along with numerous side events.

A top priority will be to secure the 60 ratifications needed to bring into force the 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, known as the "BBNJ Agreement." Adopted in 2023, the accord aims to safeguard marine ecosystems in international waters. So far, only 32 countries have ratified it. The deadline for reaching the 60-country threshold is Sept. 20, 2025.

Photo taken on Sept. 5, 2021 shows the old port of Marseille, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

"The goal for Nice is to achieve at least 60 ratifications to ensure the agreement's entry into force. We aren't there yet ... There is still a lot of work to be done," French President Emmanuel Macron said, as quoted by Le Monde.

The second objective targets the prohibition of harmful fisheries subsidies, widely seen as a major driver of global fish stock depletion. While the World Trade Organization adopted an agreement on this issue in June 2022, it still requires formal ratification by two-thirds of its members - or 111 countries - with only 101 having done so to date.

Macron also emphasized the importance of combating "illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing," Le Monde reported.

The third major aim concerns achieving the "30x30" goal - the commitment to protect 30 percent of the oceans by 2030. Currently, only around 8 percent of marine areas enjoy some form of protection.

People watch huge waves along the coast in Nice, southern France, Nov. 5, 2023. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

To close the financial gap and support ocean conservation, conference participants will discuss innovative funding instruments such as "Blue bonds" and "Blue loans" to advance a sustainable ocean economy.