The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will take place in Nice in June 2025. Co-organized by the governments of France and Costa Rica, the summit will bring together approximately 100 Heads of State, 20,000 delegates, and numerous stakeholders and experts from around the world.
This is a major event for the protection of marine ecosystems and one of the most significant global gatherings of the year dedicated to safeguarding ocean and seabed biodiversity.
Each morning, a plenary session will be held during which UN Member States will make statements on their commitment to the ocean.
Additionally, dialogues involving Member States—referred to as the “Ocean Action Panels”—will enable the engagement of diverse actors and the creation of coalitions and projects in favor of the ocean.
UNOC3 will focus on:
“Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean,”
and will aim to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) through three main priorities, with the goal of producing an ambitious Nice Ocean Action Plan:
- Priority 1: Work towards the successful completion of ocean-related multilateral processes to raise the level of ambition for ocean protection.
- Priority 2: Mobilize funding for SDG14 and support the development of a sustainable blue economy.
- Priority 3: Strengthen and better disseminate marine science knowledge to support more effective policy-making.
UNOC3 will be preceded by a civil society-focused week entitled “We are the Ocean,” starting on June 2, 2025, and will include three special UN events:
- The One Ocean Science Congress (June 4–6, 2025, in Nice), organized in conjunction with Ifremer and CNRS, will bring together 2,000 international scientists to deliver a summary on the health of the ocean and recommendations for action to heads of state and government.
- The Blue Economy and Finance Forum (June 7–8, 2025, in Monaco): Heads of state, companies, financiers, and civil society will meet to make significant financial commitments to the blue economy and propose innovative blue financial tools.
- The Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition (June 7, 2025, in Nice), organized by Nice and the Ocean Climate Platform, will bring together elected representatives and decision-makers to accelerate collaboration, improve access to knowledge, and secure funding to adapt to climate and ocean change.
Special attention will be given to the Mediterranean during this third edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference. The Mediterranean Day will focus particularly on decentralized cooperation, the blue economy, and civil society action on climate.
This multi-stakeholder day will bring together national and regional political authorities, international organizations, development banks, businesses, civil society, non-governmental organizations, and research centers in several panels focusing on key cooperation priorities.