By Alyn Ware
Program Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy. Member, MEGA Steering Committee
Ships in the port of Nice collectively sounded their foghorns on Friday June 13, a brassy celebration of a successful outcome to the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). 170 countries participating in the conference had just adopted a declaration Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action by consensus, promising urgent action to protect the ocean.
“We close this historic week not just with hope, but with concrete commitment, clear direction, and undeniable momentum,” Li Junhua, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the summit, told reporters.
Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the five-day event brought 15,000 participants, including more than 60 heads of state and government, to France’s Mediterranean coast. A number of representatives from participating organizations of Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance (MEGA) attended, including two members of the MEGA steering committee, Marie-Claire Graf (Youth Negotiators Academy) and Chris Guillot (AwareNearth).
The declaration Our ocean, our future: united for urgent actionmakes a number of commitments to address and reverse the grave dangers to the world’s oceans from overfishing, climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, pollution and aquatic ecosystems degradation. But without binding targets and accountability mechanisms, implementation could lag way behind aspiration.
Maritime protected areas are a case in point. The declaration recognizes that such areas are instrumental for restoring ocean ecosystems, and affirms the commitment that “by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.” (See 30% by 2030 campaign).
However, a report The Ocean Protection Gap: Assessing Progress Toward the 30×30 Target released just prior to the conference notes a huge gap between aspiration and actuality. The document warns that right now, “just 8.6% of the ocean is protected, with only 2.7% assessed and deemed effectively protected, a far cry from the 30% target.”
Other commitments could face similar fates, leading Greenpeace Delegation Head Megan Randles to note: “We’ve heard lots of fine words here in Nice, but these need to turn into tangible action.” Ms Randles was especially concerned about the development of deep sea-bed mining. “Countries must be brave, stand up for global cooperation and make history by stopping deep sea mining this year. They can do this by committing to a moratorium on deep sea mining at next month’s International Seabed Authority meeting.”
“The true measure of the UNOC3 conference’s success will therefore lie in the sustained efforts and political will to translate these ambitious words into tangible protection for our oceans,” says Chris Guillot. “Civil society and especially youth, have an important role to play to ensure implementation of the commitments by governments.”
One of the conference’s main objectives was to accelerate progress on the High Seas Treaty (also known as the Agreement on Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction). 60 ratifications are needed for it to enter into force. During the conference an additional 19 countries ratified the accord, bringing the total number to 50.
Another objective was to build momentum for the UN negotiations for a treaty on plastic pollution including in the marine environment. The next round of the negotiations will take place in Geneva from August 4-15.
The conference also included a number of announcements of important national and regional measures to protect the oceans including:
- Adoption of the European Ocean Pact which amongst other things provides 1 billion EUR to support ocean conservation and establishes a EU Ocean Youth and Intergenerational Ambassador Network;
- A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area,. covering its entire exclusive economic zone;
- A commitment by New Zealand to provide 52 million US dollars to support ocean governance, management and science in the Pacific Islands region;
- Thirty-seven countries, led by Panama and Canada, launching the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean — the first high-level political initiative to tackle ocean noise pollution on a global scale
The next UN Oceans conference (UNOC4) will be co-hosted by Chile and South Korea in 2028.
