Every summer, visitors flock to Nice, France, to enjoy its beaches and the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Joining the tourists this June will be thousands of people working towards a healthier ocean. The reason? The 3rd edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) and the One Ocean Science Congress.
What is the United Nations Ocean Conference?
In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Among them, Goal 14 is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. The United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) was created to unite ocean stakeholders, such as heads of state, high-level government officials, representatives from NGOs, industry, civil society, and academia, to make commitments supporting Goal 14.
These UNOC commitments include tackling marine pollution, creating sustainable fisheries, developing a sustainable blue economy, and conserving marine life through mechanisms such as marine protected areas.
The first UNOC, hosted by Sweden and Fiji, was held in New York City, USA, in 2017. The event saw over 1,300 voluntary commitments being made, primarily from Governments but also from NGOs, UN entities, and the private sector. In addition, a 14-point Call for Action in which Heads of State, Government and senior representatives affirmed the “strong commitment to conserve and sustainably use our oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”
Initially scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second UNOC was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022. Co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal, ‘UNOC2’ saw 700 new voluntary commitments registered on topics such as investing in climate resilience and tackling plastic pollution. The conference also welcomed the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration, a commitment to taking innovative, science-based actions for a healthier, sustainably managed ocean. Crucially, the Declaration recognised that developing countries and small island developing states, in particular, face capacity challenges that must be addressed to ensure Goal 14’s success.
The third UNOC in Nice, which takes place from June 9 to 13, centres on “accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.” Like previous events, ‘UNOC3’ will include plenary sessions and panels. This year, the event will also feature the EU Digital Ocean Pavilion.
Coordinated by Mercator Ocean International on behalf of the European Commission DG DEFIS and in partnership with DG RTD, DG MARE and DG INTPA, the Pavilion will be held inside the Green Zone – a public exhibition area dedicated to raising awareness of the ocean. Focusing on the themes of “inspire,” “engage,” and “decide,” the Pavilion will showcase EU flagship ocean programmes, initiatives, operational services, and contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals and promote the implementation of EU/international ocean, biodiversity and climate policies. Visitors will experience roundtables and TEDx-style, explore ocean observation, monitoring and prediction-related programmes and operational services, partake in an immersive “Ocean Situation Room,” featuring applications from the European Digital Twin Ocean programme, and more.
If all goes well, the Conference will adopt the “Nice Ocean Action Plan” – an intergovernmental agreed action-orientated declaration and more voluntary commitments from the private and public sectors.
Is the One Ocean Science Congress related to UNOC?
In a word, yes.
Organised by Ifremer, the French national institute for ocean science and technology, and CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research, the One Ocean Science Congress is a UNOC3 special event.
Scheduled for June 4 to 6 (right before UNOC3), the One Ocean Science Congress aims to give Heads of State, Government representatives, and other UNOC3 attendees, as well as ocean stakeholders and the wider public, scientific insights on how the ocean supports society, current and future health of the ocean, and well as potential solutions to ensure effective conservation and sustainable use of ocean resources.
Themes for the One Ocean Science Congress include decarbonising shipping, integrating knowledge systems, equitable access to, and sharing of, marine genetic resources, and improving transparency in fisheries. G7 FSOI and GEO Blue Planet, supported by EU4OceanObs, will (co)-host a series of events. There will be a presentation on the GEO Blue Planet Fisheries Working Group, highlighting how Earth observations are being leveraged to support sustainable fisheries. Another presentation will focus on the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System (IMDOS), which serves as a global monitoring system for marine litter research and decision-making. In addition, there will be a poster on putting sargassum observations and predictions into the hands of decision-makers.
The G7FSOI (G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative), European Commission, and Ocean-Decade endorsed DITTO (Digital Twins of the Ocean) programme, will jointly host a “Marine Knowledge at the Fingertips of our Communities: Designing Digital Twins of the Ocean” town hall. Here, participants will have the opportunity to collaborate on strategies to harness the power of digital twins of the ocean for sustainability, protection, governance, and the blue economy.
In addition to the One Ocean Science Congress, two other UNOC3 special events will take place in June.
The City of Nice and the Ocean Climate Platform are co-organising the Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Coalition Summit for June 7. The event will bring together officials and representatives from coastal cities, regions, and islands threatened by sea level rise to share knowledge, build collaborations and explore funding options to enhance resilience.
On June 7 and 8, neighbouring Monaco will host the Blue Economy and Finance Forum. Co-organised by the Principality of Monaco, the Foundation Prince Albert II de Monaco, and the Monaco Oceanographic Institute, the Forum will focus on innovative and sustainable investments for improving ocean health, resilience, and a regenerative blue economy.
What about the Our Ocean Conference?
The Our Ocean Conferences are separate events, but they do share some common interests with UNOC.
The Our Ocean Conference brings together Heads of State, high-level government officials, and representatives from NGOs and international organisations to discuss concrete actions for a sustainable ocean. Like UNOC, the annual Our Ocean Conference aims to mobilise voluntary commitments towards ocean sustainability. Commitments include action on marine pollution, climate change, and sustainable fisheries. Some, but not all, of the commitments made at Our Ocean Conferences overlap with those made at UNOC.
To date, there have been nine Our Ocean Conferences. The tenth Our Ocean Conference will be held in April 2025 in Busan, Korea.
Additional information
- Visit the UNOC 2025 website: https://unocnice2025.org/
- Visit the One Ocean Science Congress website: https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/
- Visit the Blue Economy Finance Forum website: https://beff2025monaco.org/
- Visit the Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Coalition Summit website: https://oneplanetsummit.fr/les-coalitions-82/ocean-rise-resilience-293
- Visit the Tenth Our Ocean Conference website: https://ourocean2025.kr/
- Visit the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 webpage: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14
- Visit the GEO Blue Planet/EU4OceanObs “Integrating Marine Litter Monitoring to Inform Action” event at UNOC-2 webpage: https://www.eu4oceanobs.eu/marine-litter-monitoring-to-inform-action/
- Visit the EU Digital Ocean Pavilion website: https://www.digitaloceanpavilion.eu/
