The UNEP Regional Seas Programme is a global initiative implemented through regional frameworks for cooperation, management, and protection of shared marine and coastal environments.
The Regional Seas Programme is an action-oriented program that carries out specific activities for each region, bringing together stakeholders including governments, scientific communities, civil society, indigenous peoples, local communities, and youth to “address the accelerated degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through a ‘shared seas’ approach.”
The programme covers 18 regions, most of which have adopted a regional action plan supported by a legal framework in the form of a regional convention and associated protocols on specific issues, known as Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAP).
The Regional Seas Programme is participating in the 2025 UN Ocean Conference 3 (UNOC3) with many scheduled events:
7 – 8 June
Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs)
Intersessional Workshop of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies
09:30am – Théoule-sur-Mer, France
9 June
UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention
Our Ocean, Our Future, Our Responsibility: Accelerating Adaptation and Enhancing Resilience from the Mediterranean Lands to the Sea
17:30–18:45 – Room 3, Blue Zone
COBSEA
Scaling Collective Action for 30×30: East Asian Seas Regional Collaborative Network of MPAs – Joint Action, Knowledge Sharing, and Capacity Building
14:00–15:00 – Auditorium, La Baleine (The whale)
Nairobi Convention
Blue Tourism: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economies for People and Planet
14:00 – Room 5, Blue Zone
OSPAR
10th Anniversary of Copernicus Marine
15:50–18:35 – EU Digital Ocean Pavilion
10 June
UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention
MAP@50 – Celebration of 50th UNEP/MAP and 30th Post Rio Barcelona Convention Anniversaries
10:30–11:45
Blue Zone, Room 2
Mediterranean Day at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen
High-Level Closing Segment
18:45–19:30 – Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen
COBSEA & Black Sea Commission
Partnering for Ocean Sustainability and SDG14 (Session 2) Celebrating 30 Years of Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) Cooperation
17:15–18:30 – Hotel Le Saint Paul – 29 Bd Franck Pilatte, 06300 Nice, France
Cartagena Convention
The Global Plastics Hub of the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML)
10:30–11:30 – Digital Ocean Pavilion, Green Zone
Sargassum Crisis: Regional Cooperation and Response Towards New Opportunities
12:15–13:30 – Room 3, Blue Zone
Turning the Tide: Advancing Science, Solutions, and Cooperation on the Tropical Atlantic Sargassum Situation
15:00–16:00 – Mama Shelter Hotel
Collaborate to Accelerate – The Contribution of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans to the Ratification and Implementation of the BBNJ Agreement
18:00–20:00 – Hotel Le Saint Paul – 29 Bd Franck Pilatte
Nairobi Convention
Building Bridges for Ocean Conservation: The Power of Cooperation
10:00–11:00 – Beyond Borders Pavilion
OSPAR
UNOC 3 Side Event: “Delivering on the 2030 Sustainable Ocean Economy: Pledge to Develop Ocean Accounts by 2030”
08:45–10:00 – Blue Zone
Mercator Ocean:
“Let’s Talk About Marine Pollution” – Coastal Challenges: Monitoring, Solutions, and the Path to SDG 14
10:30–13:30 – EU Digital Ocean Pavilion
The Scrubber Case – Time for Global Solution
11:30–12:45 – Université Côte d’Azur, Campus Saint Jean d’Angély
Addressing and Minimizing Ocean Acidification: Success Stories, Opportunities, and New Commitments
14:00–15:00 – La Baleine
11 June
Regional Seas Programme
24th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs)
07:45 – 18:30 – Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice
UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention
African Mediterranean Europe Cooperation, Sharing Effective Lessons Learned and Case Studies in the Mediterranean Towards a Future-Ready Sea Basin: From the Regional to the Global Context
12:15–13:30 – Room 1, Blue Zone
Sharing Effective Lessons Learned and Case Studies in the Mediterranean Towards a Future-Ready Sea Basin: From the Regional to the Global Context
15:45–17:00 – Room 1, Blue Zone
HELCOM (Helsinki Commission)
The Sea Knows No Borders: Transboundary Protection for a Thriving Baltic
09:15–11:00 – Le Cabo Coworking
No Time to Waste: Tackling Submerged Munitions in European Seas
18:00 – Research Vessel METEOR, Port of Nice
Nairobi Convention
UN Decade of Restoration Awards
From 18:30 – Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice
Abidjan Convention
Bridging Borders, Protecting Oceans: Transboundary Cooperation from Source to Sea
08:45–10:00 – Room 2, Blue Zone
OSPAR
Nuclear Energy and Ocean Health: Powering a Sustainable Future
14:00–15:00 – Virtual Event
12 June
Regional Seas Programme
Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Area-Based Conservation and Marine Environmental Assessment
10:30–11:45
UNEP/MAP
Ocean Action Panel 8: Promoting and Supporting All Forms of Cooperation, Especially at the Regional and Sub-Regional Level
15:00–18:00 – OAP8
Ocean and Climate – State of the Ocean – Advances in Ocean Monitoring
10:30–13:30 – EU Digital Pavilion – Inspire Area
COBSEA & Cartagena Convention
Uniting Regional Governance for a Resilient 30×30 Ocean Future (Side Event ID 91)
10:30–11:45 – Room 1, Blue Zone
Cartagena Convention
Wastewater Pollution Management to Boost the Climate Resilience of Coral Reefs
14:00–15:30 – La Baleine (The Whale), Palais des Expositions, Green Zone
Nairobi Convention
NMS Vision and Roadmap Event
From 10:00 – Blue Panda WWF Boat
CPPS
Regional Collaboration for Healthy Oceans: Moving Towards the Establishment of a Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Network in the Southeast Pacific
18:00 – 20:00 – Anantara Plaza Nice – Hotel 12 Av. de Verdun
OSPAR
The Whale in the Room: Sharing Lessons Learned for the Effective Implementation of High Seas MPAs
17:00–18:00 – Costa Rica Pavilion, Green Zone
13 June
COBSEA
[Side Event – PART 2] Scaling Collective Action for 30×30: East Asian Seas Regional Collaborative Network of MPAs – reflections and synergies, fostering strategic partnerships, and enhancing regional collaboration
12:45–13:30 – Room Orca, La Baleine (The Whale), Palais des Expositions
OSPAR
NACES and Other High Seas MPAs under OSPAR: Collaboration and Science to Support the Identification and Protection of the High Seas
08:00–09:00 – Hotel Le Saint Paul, 29 boulevard Franck Pilatte