UNOC 2025: Where Does International Cooperation For Oceans Stand?

The 2025 UN Ocean Conference is critical for international ocean cooperation, bringing together global stakeholders to address the ocean polycrisis through the theme: "Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean." Building upon previous conferences in 2017 and 2022, UNOC 2025 occurs at a pivotal moment following the adoption of landmark agreements like the High Seas Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal biodiversity framework, while confronting urgent challenges including pollution, overfishing and marine biodiversity degradation. The conference aims to produce the "Nice Ocean Action Plan" and a political declaration; these could establish foundations for post-2030 ocean governance, serving as a crucial test of multilateral cooperation in addressing unprecedented threats to our blue planet with only five years remaining to achieve SDG 14.

Oceans And Their Threats

Marine ecosystems and habitats are at the precipice of severe loss of life as we know it. Human intervention has enabled irreversible damage, which comes back to our standards of living. Indigenous communities are at the forefront of the consequences, and need safeguarding now more than ever.