With just over two months to go until world leaders, policymakers, scientists, and advocates descend on the Côte d’Azur for the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined the strategic objectives and goals he hopes can be achieved at the event. Speaking at the SOS Ocean Summit, which was also attended by Monaco’s Prince Albert II, Macron stated, “UNOC 3 must deliver on its promise of nature restoration and protection of the living.”
The potential outcomes of the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice this coming June were put under the microscope at the SOS Ocean Summit hosted by Paris’ Musée de l’Homme and the Musée de la Marine on 30th and 31st March.
The goal of this Paris-based event was to act as a stepping stone to a successful UNOC 3 by addressing the key issues and challenges faced by the world’s oceans in advance of the event, allowing stakeholders to prepare and initiate important discussions at local, national, and international levels.
Among the international figures from the spheres of politics, business, and science to attend the SOS Ocean Summit was Monaco’s Prince Albert, who stepped up to speak on stage about a subject close to his heart: the protection of ocean ecosystems and marine biodiversity. Nice’s long-time mayor, Christian Estrosi, was also present at the event.
Macron also delivered a rousing speech, saying, “The subject of our seas, of our oceans is dear to me… This is the first United Nations conference that France is hosting on its soil since COP21 in 2015. UNOC 3 must deliver on its promise of nature restoration and protection of the living.”
The French president touched on the ratification of the High Seas Agreement, which has been signed by 110 countries but ratified by just 21—Monaco was notably the first nation in Europe to sign. The goal now, said Macron, is to secure at least 60 ratifications by the Nice conference.
See more: Monaco first in EU to ratify UN High Seas Treaty on protections outside national jurisdictions
The French President also called for the wider adoption of sustainable fishing practices, citing, “Between 10 and 20% of fish production comes from illegal fishing, which is obviously unacceptable.”
He urged ratification of the World Trade Organization agreement to end subsidies for illegal fishing as another key target for the conference, while calling on nations around the world to collectively expand marine protected areas from the current 8.5% to at least 11 to 15% of exclusive economic zones by the time of the conference. “France will do its part, first with the creation of new marine protected areas,” he promised, before noting that France already manages two of the world’s 10 largest marine protected areas.
The fight against plastic pollution also features prominently in Macron’s objectives, and he mentioned the upcoming negotiations related to a global plastic treaty in Geneva as one example of collective efforts.
“Let’s be clear, the last major international meetings have been disappointments,” he said. “When plastic reaches the sea, it is already too late. Microplastics are a disaster for our biodiversity and our health.”
See more: Prince Albert II calls for global participation at Blue Economy and Finance Forum in June
Macron also spoke about the International Maritime Organization’s goals for carbon neutrality by 2050 and outlined the need for massive investments in sustainable fuels, port electrification, and fleet transformation.
Additional objectives highlighted by the French president included new financing mechanisms for a sustainable blue economy, climate change adaptation for coastal regions, and defense of science-based ocean policies.
He closed the event by saying, “No one will find the solution for us. Basically, it’s about collective intelligence, the ability to cooperate, and willingness.”
UNOC 3 will take place in Nice between 9th and 13th June.
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Photo credit: Axel Bastello / Palais Prinicer de Monaco